4.9.2018

All your news in a single email. We scour 100+ sources so you don't have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and more - all packaged in a 5-minute read below.
 

Syrian Chemical Attack.
Dozens died and hundreds were injured in a chemical attack on the rebel-held enclave of Douma, a suburb of the Syrian city of Damascus, according to reports yesterday. Aid groups monitoring the situation accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government of conducting the attack. The country is in the tail-end of its seven-year-long civil war - reports of brutality have increased as the Syrian government has gained the upper hand in the conflict. The Syrian government has previously been accused of chemical attacks during the conflict - use of chemical weapons is banned under the international Chemical Weapons Convention. Syria signed on to the treaty in 2013 as part of an agreement under which it was supposed to destroy its chemical weapon stockpile. President Trump condemned the attack while blaming Russia for its support of Assad. More than 400,000 Syrians have been killed since the fighting began in 2011. 

Air strikes were reported on a Syrian government airbase this morning, most likely from Israel. 

Cosby Retrial.
Opening statements will be held in the retrial of comedian Bill Cosby today. Cosby is charged with three counts of felony indecent assault against former acquaintance Andrea Constand in 2004 (see background on original charges). The second trial takes place against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement - over 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, many of whom are expected to provide testimony. At the same time, The 80-year-old's legal team is expected to mount a more aggressive defense. Cosby's first trial ended last spring after jurors were unable to reach a decision after five days of deliberation. 

Tragedy Strikes Canadian Youth Hockey.
15 people were killed and 14 others injured when a semi-trailer collided with a youth hockey team bus in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan over the weekend. The bus was carrying the team to a Friday night playoff game when the accident occurred. The team represented the small, 6,000-person town of Humboldt - many of the players were from elsewhere in Western Canada and were being hosted by the families in the town. The cause of the crash is still unknown, though the aerial photos showed complete devastation. A GoFundMe campaign had raised nearly $4M for families of the victims as of Sunday evening. 
 

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> Cecil Taylor, pianist and pioneer of free-jazz movement, dies at 89 (More)
 

> Food allergy in infants, long a mystery, linked to both environmental and genetic factors that must coexist for most allergies to occur (More)
> Researchers observe orangutans using plant extract as medicine, first known example of nonhumans using topical painkillers (More)
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> US Economy added 103k jobs in March, unemployment rate held at 4.1% for 6th straight month (More)
> US Stock markets fall ~2% Friday due to China/US trade war fears (More)
> Deutsche Bank names new CEO, former retail banking head Christian Sewing (More)
 

> Ahead of CEO Mark Zuckerberg appearing in front of Congress Tuesday, Facebook announces it will require political advertisers to reveal identity and verify location (More)
> National security adviser HR McMaster officially hands over duties to former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton (More)
> White House sanctions 38 Russian individuals and entities, including chairman of powerful state-owned energy company Gazprom, for "malign activity" across the world (More)

Check out 2018's most and least stressed-out states.

A nine-year-old is quietly dominating the New Yorker's cartoon caption contest. 

Cardi B reveals baby bump in the middle of SNL. 

...Also Kate Hudson announces she is expecting her third child.

Here's how much you need to make to afford the average home in each state. 

The most religious regions in the US (survey data via Gallup). 

Sylvester Stallone visits the Rocky Statue in Philly to cheering fans.

Here's why the drinking age is 21 years old. 

See the most beautiful train stations from across the globe. 

Clickbait: This ram's reign of terror is holding one English town hostage. 

Historybook: RIP Francis Bacon (1626); Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, ending the Civil War (1865); HBD Hugh Hefner (1926); RIP Frank Lloyd Wright (1959); HBD Cynthia Nixon (1966).
 

"A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds."
- Francis Bacon
 

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