Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend
Solar eclipse 2017: Anticipation builds as millions pack prime viewing spots
A swath of the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina was drawing a crowd Sunday in anticipation of the nation's first coast-to-coast, total solar eclipse in almost a century. The path where the moon will completely cover the sun will first reach the United States in the area of Salem, Ore., and sweep through a myriad of cities and towns on its way to Charleston, S.C. Observers outside this path will see a partial solar eclipse as the moon covers part of the sun's disk. Some things to help you prepare:
- Follow eclipse on Paste BN's Facebook Live, Instagram
- The procrastinator's guide to viewing the solar eclipse
- What time is the eclipse where I live?
- Weather forecast: Where clouds will mar your view of the sky spectacle
Jerry Lewis, comedy genius, dead at 91
The consummate showman, comedian, director and actor died Sunday
morning at age 91, his close friend Nancy Kane and his manager Mark Rozzano confirmed to Paste BN. At the end of a remarkable show business life, Jerry Lewis might be best remembered for “Jerry’s Kids,” the children affected by muscular dystrophy. Lewis threw his worldwide fame into a career-long battle against the degenerative disease, most notably through The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, which he hosted from 1966 to 2010. Celebrities remembered Lewis as "the real, no irony, king of comedy."
Polls: Voters in three key states Trump won 'embarrassed' by his conduct as president
President Trump is not only losing ground in three key states that helped send him to the White House, but a majority of voters there say he has embarrassed them, new polls say. Six out of 10 voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin say they feel embarrassed by Trump’s conduct as president, according to three new NBC News/Marist polls. Trump’s approval rating in all three states has fallen below 40 percent. The polls were conducted Aug. 13-17, after last weekend’s white supremacist rally and violence in Charlottesville, Va., and amid the fallout from Trump’s response to those events.
'Free Speech' rally fizzles as thousands of counterprotesters swarm Boston
Thousands of anti-racist protesters marching through downtown Boston on Saturday effectively prevented conservative activists from mounting a "Free Speech Rally" in the aftermath of deadly clashes last week in Virginia. Only a handful of rally-goers, some wearing red "Make America Great Again" Trump caps, appeared to navigate their way through waves of marchers pouring into the Boston Common area, where the "Boston Free Speech" event was planned. Some media reports said only two dozen people actually attended the rally that had sparked the counterprotest in the first place.
North Korea warns of nuclear war if U.S. drill turns to 'actual fighting'
North Korea warned Sunday that the joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises set to start Monday will be "adding fuel to the fire" of already heightened tensions with the United States and its allies. An editorial in North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper described the annual military drill as "reckless behavior driving the situation into the uncontrollable phase of a nuclear war,” CNN reported.
Extremists in Spain planned massive attack
Police put up scores of roadblocks across northeast Spain on Sunday in hopes of capturing a fugitive suspect from the 12-member Islamic extremist cell that staged two vehicle attacks and plotted much deadlier carnage using explosives favored by Islamic State militants. Complicating the manhunt, though, was the fact that police have so far been unable to officially identify who exactly is at large. While police have identified the 12 members of the cell, three people remain unaccounted for: two believed killed when the house where the plot was being hatched exploded Wednesday, and a suspected fugitive, Catalan police official Josep Lluis Trapero told reporters Sunday.
Dick Gregory, legendary comic and civil rights activist, dies at 84
Comic trailblazer and civil rights activist Dick Gregory died on Saturday at
age 84. His son Christian Gregory confirmed the news of the passing on his father's Instagram account. "It is with enormous sadness that the Gregory family confirms that their father, comedic legend and civil rights activist Mr. Dick Gregory departed this earth tonight in Washington, DC," the post reads. Gregory was one of the first black comedians to find mainstream success with white audiences in the early 1960s. He rose from an impoverished childhood in St. Louis to become a celebrated satirist who< deftly commented upon racial divisions at the dawn of the civil rights movement.
Officials: No Powerball winner, jackpot swells to $650M
Powerball officials say there was no grand prize winner in Saturday night's drawing, meaning one of the nation’s largest lottery jackpots will continue growing. Maura McCann of the New Hampshire Lottery says no ticket matched all six numbers following Saturday night’s drawing. The winning numbers are: 17, 19, 39, 43, 68 and Powerball 13. The new jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing is $650 million, which would be the third-largest jackpot in U.S. history.
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen finds lost WWII ship USS Indianapolis
"We've located the wreckage of the USS Indianapolis in Philippine Sea at 5500m below the sea." That tweet from entrepreneur and billionaire Paul Allen Saturday confirmed what many have been searching for since the ship was sunk on July 30, 1945. Allen, who is leading a 13-person team on his 250-foot research ship, the R/V Petrel, said the wreckage was found at a depth of more than 18,000 feet. Allen’s team is still surveying the site of the wreckage and plans to conduct a live tour of the wreckage in the next few weeks.
Trump, first lady pull out of Kennedy Center Honors ceremony to avoid 'distraction' for honorees
The White House, already facing a growing boycott by several honorees, announced Saturday that President Trump and first lady Melania Trump will not participate in this year's annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony to avoid any "political distraction" for the recipients of the award. The 40-year-old arts and humanities award, presented every December in a ceremony at the Kennedy Center, recognizes honorees for their lifetime contributions in the arts and the positive change they have made in the world. Past presidents and first ladies have hosted a reception for the honorees at the White House before the gala and sat with them at the televised event. This year's ceremony will be held Dec. 3 and broadcast on Dec. 26.
Aly Raisman criticizes USA Gymnastics, USOC for response to sex abuse scandal
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman criticized both USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee for their response to the sport’s sexual abuse crisis, saying she feels as if they’re more concerned about sweeping it under the rug or protecting themselves legally than making sure it never happens again. In a joint interview with Paste BN Sports and the Associated Press on Saturday, Raisman said revelations of widespread abuse by longtime team physician Larry Nassar and the reaction by the governing bodies has colored how she views her sport. “The people at the very top, that work at the office every single day at USA Gymnastics, they need to do better,” Raisman said.