7.30.2018

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.
 

Death Toll Rises in CA Fires.
At least six people have died and more than 30,000 forced to evacuate from a raging wildfire in Northern California. Over 3,000 firefighters are fighting the so-called Carr fire, which has consumed 95,000 acres just ten miles west of Redding on the edge of the Shasta Trinity National Forest. Officials said the blaze - which was 20% contained as of Monday morning - was ignited by an unidentified vehicle malfunction. The fire is one of more than a dozen burning up and down the state (see real-time map), driven by dry winds and abnormally high temperatures - over 110 degrees in some spots. The current fires follow a record-setting fire season in 2017, which was the worst year on record with nearly 1.4 million acres burned, 43 killed, and over $13B in damage.

Top Church Official Resigns Over Sex Abuse Charges.
Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Theodore McCarrick, a top church official in the US Roman Catholic Church, amid a widening sexual abuse scandal. McCarrick formerly served the greater DC area as the Archbishop of Washington and was part of the church's prestigious College of Cardinals. McCarrick was suspended from service in late June after a church panel found sufficient evidence to support accusations that he had molested an altar boy nearly 50 years ago - a subsequent investigation (paywall) revealed widespread accusations that McCarrick preyed on aspiring priests. Two local New Jersey dioceses were found to have settled lawsuits in 2005 and 2007 that arose from his misconduct.

McCarrick is unlikely to be charged in the original case - New York state law prohibits victims of child sex abuse from pressing charges after they turn 23. 

Economy Booms in Second Quarter.
US GDP growth hit 4.1% for the second quarter, according to estimates released on Friday. It was the first time the measure - gross domestic product, the broad sum of all goods and services produced by the country - grew more than 4% since the third quarter of 2014. For comparison, the average GDP growth rate over the past six years has been around 2.2% (see data). Increased consumer spending and business confidence buoyed by recent tax cuts helped fuel the growth, while companies - especially in agriculture - rushed to export goods overseas before retaliatory tariffs from countries like China kick in. Analysts noted that after subtracting contributions like foreign sales and government spending, sales to private domestic buyers (paywall) were up 4.3% - better than the overall average. The figures put the US economy on track for one of its best years since the beginning of the Great Recession in 2009. 
 

> Geraint Thomas becomes first Welshman to win Tour de France (More)
> Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY inducts six players including Chipper Jones, Jim Thome (More) | Here's why each new member was chosen (More)
> Lucasfilm announces Star Wars: Episode IX will feature posthumous appearance from Carrie Fisher (More) | See co-star Mark Hamill's comments on Fisher's role (More)
 

> A new species of Ebola, the sixth overall and first in over a decade, identified in bats in Sierra Leone (More)
> Scientists demonstrate neural network computing using light instead of electrons, while 3D printing the circuitry (More) | Read about neural networks, computer chips that mimic the brain (More)
> Researchers identify stem cells that allow geckos to grow new brain cells; provides insight into regenerating human brain after injury (More)
 

> Twitter's monthly active users fell by 1M to 355M, shares tumble 21% (More)
> Land O' Lakes names Beth Ford CEO, first openly gay female CEO of a Fortune 500 company (More)
> CBS to investigate personal misconduct allegations against CEO Les Moonves, shares fall 6% (More)

Gain access to the private market. Invest in or sell pre-IPO shares on EquityZen, a platform for buying shares in private companies (More)
 

> Amid crackdown on opposition parties, Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen wins landslide reelection (More) | Zimbabwe voters head to polls without Robert Mugabe on ballot for first time in four decades (More)
> Special Counsel Robert Mueller releases 35-person witness list in upcoming Paul Manafort trial (More)
> Newly -disclosed "Quiet Skies" program shows Transportation Security Administration tracks US citizens even if they aren't on a terrorism watch list (More)

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Americans view genetic engineering for babies with suspicion, even if it makes their babies smarter.

See photos of Friday's longest-blood-moon-of-the-century from around the world.  

About 40% of divorcees report improved financial well-being after divorce. 

Watch video of surfer Koa Smith taking a record-breaking eight-barrel ride.

There's still a few weeks of summer left to check out the best beach bars in America (via Thrillist).

This new suspension bridge at Canada's Whistler Blackcomb ski resort may give you the shivers. 

...Also, check out this new bridge in Vietnam that looks to be held up by a giant stone hand. 

A new skyscraper in China will have a 350-foot waterfall hurtling down its facade. 

Clickbait: One Minnesota duck is taking care of 76 ducklings. 

Historybook: HBD Henry Ford (1863); Uruguay wins first World Cup (1930); HBD Arnold Schwarzenegger (1948); Medicare & Medicaid established in US (1965); RIP actress Claudette Colbert (1996).
 

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