U.S. and world news for Aug. 9
Trump home raided: The FBI raided Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach, Florida-based resort home of former President Donald Trump. And it was Trump who alerted the world to raid, issuing a statement that his “beautiful home” was “under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents.” Trump, who was in New York City at the time, added that FBI agents broke into his safe. While neither the FBI nor the Justice Department issued a statement explaining why the raid occurred, multiple news outlets said it was connected to Trump”™s mishandling of classified documents that were being sought by the National Archives and Records Administration. The White House reportedly did not receive advance notice of the raid.
Zelensky seeks ban on Russian travelers: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling on Western countries to ban all Russian travelers. In an interview with the Washington Post, Zelensky said the Russian people should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy.” Zelensky”™s comments follow an announcement from the Biden administration that the U.S. is sending an additional $1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine to help the beleaguered country fight against the Russian invasion.
Clinical trial for Lyme disease vaccine: Pfizer and French biotech company Valneva are collaborating on a clinical trial to test the only current vaccine candidate against Lyme disease. Nearly half a million Americans get Lyme disease each year. There had been a previous vaccine, but it was discontinued in 2002 due to what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention termed as “insufficient consumer demand.”
Researchers at Pfizer and Valneva are seeking 6,000 volunteers in the U.S. and Europe for the trial process on the vaccine, which is called VLA15.
“Grease” star Olivia-Newton John dies: Dame Olivia Newton-John passed away at the age of 73 following a long bout with breast cancer. The British-born, Australian-raised performer was among the top recording stars of the 1970s and 1980s, winning four Grammy Awards while topping the charts with songs including “Please, Mister Please” and “Have You Ever Been Mellow?” Newton-John also achieved big screen immortality as the star of the 1978 film “Grease” and the 1980 cult movie classic “Xanadu.”
Historian David McCullough dies: Award-winning historian David McCullough passed away at the age of 89. In best-selling works including “The Great Bridge,” “The Path Between the Seas,” “John Adams” and “Truman,” McCullough”™s nonfiction celebrated American achievements and the controversial figures who altered the course of history. He was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and for 10 years he hosted the PBS series “American Experience.”
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