Author: Gist It

  • Military jets intercepted a Cessna plane, shocking D.C. residents with a sonic boom

    Military fighter jets intercepted an unresponsive Cessna plane over Washington, D.C., causing a loud sonic boom heard throughout the region. The incident: A Cessna Citation aircraft departed from Elizabethton, Tennessee, and flew over D.C. instead of landing at its intended destination in New York. NORAD F-16 jets intercepted the plane around 3:20 p.m., but the […]

  • A decade on, Edward Snowden remains in Russia, though U.S. laws have changed

    Edward Snowden remains in Russia after 10 years, even as U.S. surveillance laws have changed since his revelations. The backstory: In 2013, Snowden leaked files revealing the NSA’s mass electronic data collection on American citizens. * Snowden fled the U.S. and shared the classified information with Western journalists, sparking a debate over government surveillance and […]

  • Immigrants have helped change how America eats. Now they dominate top culinary awards

    Immigrant chefs are dominating top culinary awards, including the James Beard Foundation Awards. The big picture: Over half of the 75 finalists for the chef and baker awards are immigrants or children of immigrants from different parts of the world. * This reflects a shift in the James Beard Awards, as well as a change […]

  • Vaccination and awareness could help keep mpox in check this summer

    Increasing vaccination rates and awareness could help prevent a potential mpox resurgence this summer. A worrying trend: A recent outbreak in Chicago saw 30 mpox cases, highlighting the possibility of a summer surge in the U.S. due to low vaccination rates. * More than half a million at-risk people live in areas with low vaccination […]

  • President Zelenskyy says 2-year-old is one of 500 Ukrainian children killed in war

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reports that at least 500 children have been killed in the ongoing conflict with Russia. The big picture: The war, now in its 16th month, continues to cause casualties and destruction in Ukraine. * Zelenskyy said it was impossible to establish the exact number of children killed due to ongoing hostilities […]

  • Four takeaways as China’s defense chief made a barbed speech at a Singapore summit

    China’s new defense minister delivered a speech full of veiled barbs at the US during the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Near miss in Taiwan Strait: China’s defense chief Li tried to blame the US for a close encounter between Chinese and US military vessels in the Taiwan Strait. * Li stated that incidents could […]

  • An Indian railway official says a signaling error caused a deadly train crash

    A signaling error has been identified as the cause of a deadly Indian train crash, resulting in over 300 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The specifics: The derailment occurred on Friday night in Balasore district, Odisha state, and involved two passenger trains crashing into a freight train on an adjacent loop line. * Preliminary investigations […]

  • How to hold onto a sense of wonder

    Retaining a sense of wonder can be challenging in today’s world, and Katherine May explores how to regain that enchantment in her latest book “Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age.” Childhood enchantment: May reminisces about how seemingly small experiences, like discovering a tiny geode, ignited her imagination and sense of magic. * Enchantment can […]

  • Rain brings much-needed relief to firefighters battling Nova Scotia wildfires

    Rainfall helps firefighters contain wildfires in Nova Scotia, with the Halifax-area fire now 85% contained. The situation: Rain brought much-needed relief to firefighters battling wildfires in Nova Scotia, with the fire in the Halifax area now largely contained and unlikely to grow. * The total number of active wildfires in the province decreased from 10 […]

  • Death toll in Senegal protests rises to 15 as opposition supporters clash with police

    The death toll in Senegal’s protests has risen to 15, with clashes continuing between police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. Background: Clashes broke out after Sonko was convicted of corrupting youth but acquitted on rape and death threat charges. * Sonko is popular with Senegal’s youth and considered President Macky Sall’s main competition […]