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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 10 1977 Son of Sam serial killer is arrested On August 10, 1977, police arrest 24-year-old postal employee David Berkowitz and charged him with being the “Son of Sam,” the serial killer who terrorized New York City for more than a year, killing six young people and wounding seven others with a .44-caliber revolver. Because Berkowitz generally targeted attractive young women with long brown […] read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1846 Smithsonian Institution created 1970s 1978 Fatal Ford Pinto crash in Indiana American Revolution 1776 London learns of American independence Ancient Egypt 30 B.C. Cleopatra dies by suicide Arts & Entertainment 1793 Louvre Museum opens 1912 Virginia and Leonard Woolf marry 1939 “The Wizard of Oz” movie premieres in Green Bay, Wisconsin 1984 “Red Dawn,” first PG-13 movie, is released Inventions & Science 1937 First-ever electric guitar patent awarded to the Electro String Corporation Natural Disasters & Environment 2003 Temperatures in U.K. top 100 F for first time during European heat wave Sports 1981 Pete Rose sets National League hits record Women’s History 1993 Ruth Bader Ginsburg sworn in as Supreme Court justice World War II 1945 Japan accepts Potsdam terms, agrees to unconditional surrender

> Amazon to build a 35-turbine, 7.6 GW natural gas power plant to service a Texas data center; would be the single largest CO2 emitter in the US by a factor of two (More) | Why data centers need so much power (More, w/video) > Brain study reveals the prefrontal cortex, which controls decision-making and executive functions, can suppress "outside the box" thinking (More) > First complete genome of a songbird mapped; analysis sheds light on the neuroscience of vocal learning (More) | Listen to the zebra finch's "laser beam" vocalizations (More, w/video) How eclipses work: Tomorrow's 1440 Science & Technology newsletter explores eclipses, how they work, and much more.

Country music icon Violet Hensley, known as the “Whittlin’ Fiddler” for her ability to carve and play violins, dies at age 109 (More, w/video)

Don Nelson, five-time NBA champion and Hall of Fame coach, dies at age 86 (More) | How he revolutionized the sport with "Nellie Ball" and won 1,335 regular-season games, the second most in league history (More)

Roman Shipwreck Revealed A Roman-era shipwreck was discovered off the coast of Sicily, Italy’s culture minister announced Saturday. The ship measures about 20 feet wide and 70 feet long and was discovered alongside hundreds of well-preserved clay jars. Scroll for dive footage. The discovery came after a tipoff from a local fisherman, who found what appeared to be a rock while freediving three miles off the coast of Mazara del Vallo. He dove down and discovered the ship before sharing the finding with local authorities. At a depth of about 150 feet, cultural heritage divers from Palermo police confirmed the discovery of the ancient ship and jars, identifying them as the long cylindrical jars typically used to carry wine, olive oil, or grain. Italian authorities will now safeguard and investigate the site to learn more about its history. The Mediterranean seabed is believed to hold numerous still-undiscovered ancient wrecks. Explore the most fascinating treasures 1440 staff have discovered about ancient Rome.

Irish Mob Boss Extradited Daniel Kinahan, suspected head of one of the world’s largest drug syndicates, was taken into custody by Irish officials after his extradition from the United Arab Emirates yesterday. The transfer brings Kinahan home to face charges of directing organized crime and follows his April arrest in Dubai. Formed in the 1990s to traffic street drugs in Dublin, the Kinahan network became one of Europe’s primary importers of illicit drugs, controlling an estimated one-third of the continent's cocaine supply and amassing more than $1B in net worth. The group’s rise was reportedly due to Kinahan’s coordination of a “supercartel” (podcast w/transcript) linking Central and South American cartels with other regional crime networks, including the Italian Mafia. His lavish 2017 wedding in Dubai, to which he had fled a year prior, was infiltrated by undercover DEA agents, allowing them to begin mapping the worldwide network. Kinahan gave a phone interview from an Emirati prison days before being returned—listen to a clip here.

When dogs are born, they are completely blind & cannot hear. The first sense that they develop is the sense of touch. James

Black Residents Warned of Abusive Cops for Years. Then Police Shot and Killed a Toddler. Outside the Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi, where police shot and killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, a shrine of stuffed animals sits between the garden center and the pharmacy. There are teddy bears, elephants, and kangaroos with babies in their pouches. There is a Bluey plush toy — Kohen’s favorite cartoon — along with matchbox cars, a green plastic tractor, and an array of artificial flowers. https://theintercept.com/2026/08/06/kohen-wiley-senatobia-mississippi-police-shooting/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The Intercept Newsletter Congress Might Give ICE the Power to Go After Shoplifters To counter the purported national scourge of “organized retail crime,” a bill moving through Congress would deliver the Department of Homeland Security unprecedented policing powers, granting even more authority to what experts say is an already lawless ICE. https://theintercept.com/2026/08/07/congress-ice-shoplifting-theft-surveillance/? Rubio Is Trying to Keep Leftists Out of U.S. by Banning Supporters of “Economic Sabotage” Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last month a policy banning visas for foreigners accused of links to “far-left terrorism.” The policy cited Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 as well as the law Rubio used to try to deport the pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil. https://theintercept.com/2026/08/08/state-department-rubio-leftists-visas-terrorism/? State Department Wants Palantir’s Advice on Free Speech and “Countering Digital Surveillance” The Trump administration tapped a surveillance giant with a record of attacking the press to advise the State Department on free speech. https://theintercept.com/2026/08/07/state-department-palantir-free-speech-surveillance/? The Pentagon Is Posting Cryptic Biblical Messages on Social Media As senior military leaders privately warned that the war with Iran was straining U.S. forces, depleting key missile defenses, and leaving the military without sufficient naval resources to continue protecting Israel, the Pentagon turned to Christian scripture in its official social media messaging. https://theintercept.com/2026/08/06/pentagon-department-defense-isaiah-6-8-send-me-iran-war/?

Watchdog for $46 billion tribal gambling industry can't enforce the law without a chairperson On opening day at the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma's new Harrah’s-branded casino, the tribe's chairman watched customers pack the gambling floor while a queue of cars spilled out of the parking lot. Read More.

Trump's immigration crackdown looms over Minnesota's bruising Senate primary In the streets surrounding a drab federal office complex next to the Minneapolis airport, the beleaguered resistance to President Donald Trump found its footing. Read More.

Hindu devotees honor goddesses in India and Britain, in photos In India and Britain, Hindu worshippers are taking part in rituals honoring the divine feminine. The observances come during Aadi, a holy month in the Tamil calendar associated with prayers, offerings and devotion to Hindu goddesses. Read More.

No Ebola cases found on quarantined river boat, Congo authorities say No cases of Ebola have been detected among passengers on a river boat that was placed in quarantine near Kinshasa, health authorities have said. Read More.

🚀 Science group pushing Kelly to run A liberal group working to elect scientists to public office has a 2028 message for Arizona Sen. — and former astronaut — Mark Kelly: Run, Kelly, run. Why it matters: 314 Action Fund has raised its profile this cycle, elevating candidates with STEM backgrounds who've pitched themselves as a bulwark against public health cuts and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 💰 The organization said it raised more than $100 million over the past decade — including $25 million during the 2026 midterms, more than half of which it spent on this year's Democratic primaries. Zoom in: Joshua Morrow, president of the 314 Action Fund, told Axios, "I'd love Mark Kelly to run" for president. "If Mark Kelly ran, we'd be there day one." Kelly has done events with 314 Action, and the group urged former Vice President Kamala Harris to pick him as her running mate in 2024. She chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz instead. 👩‍🔬 Morrow argued that scientist candidates are tapping into the electorate's hunger for "outsiders": "For so long the Democratic Party promoted the same type of candidate and the same type of person, and it's like, that doesn't work." As he put it, the cookie-cutter candidate is "white-guy lawyer." Context: 314 Action Fund received funding from AIPAC's super PAC in 2024 that it used to help now-Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), but it says it hasn't taken any money since then from the group, which has come under fire from many Democrats. Dexter has since disavowed AIPAC, and 314 Action Fund has backed some candidates this year who are sharp critics of Israel — including El-Sayed, a former public health official. What they're saying: Kelly's team declined to comment. He has said that he's seriously considering a run for president in 2028.

💥 Testing Bernie's revolution for '28 Illustration: Aïda Amer / Axios. Stock: Getty Images LA CROSSE, Wis. — Progressive insurgents Francesca Hong and Abdul El-Sayed want to shake up the next race for the White House — a notion that will likely petrify many top Democrats. Why it matters: They aren't running for president — they're vying for statewide office in presidential battlegrounds, and their campaigns are closely watched tests of the Bernie Sanders–style populism they want the party to embrace in 2028. It's a question that has haunted Democrats for a decade: Is America ready for a full-on left turn in politics, like what Sanders pitched when he ran for president in 2016? The prospect worries old-guard Democrats who fear Hong and El-Sayed can't win in November. 🚙 Driving the news: Hong, a self-described democratic socialist running for Wisconsin governor, is leading the polls for Tuesday's primary by double digits, as top Democrats try to stop her. She told us a win in November could boost progressive presidential hopefuls in the future. "A victory for our campaign is a victory for working-class people in Wisconsin and across the country — and it could signal to many candidates that we have common issues that we can be fighting for," Hong said. El-Sayed, Michigan's new Democratic nominee for Senate, went further in a Politico interview, prodding prospective 2028 candidates to embrace Medicare for All and other pieces of his populist agenda. "If not, I'm going to dog you up and down the state," he warned with a brash smile. 🔬 Zoom in: Progressives have long argued that Democrats twice lost the White House to Donald Trump not because voters see them as too far left, as many moderates believe, but because they're viewed as champions of a broken status quo. Now we're beginning to see what testing that theory looks like. To put the challenge into context: No progressive as closely aligned with Sanders as El-Sayed has won a battleground Senate race — and the U.S. has never elected a socialist governor. There was something of a split screen this week in the way many Democratic insiders responded to El-Sayed — whom party leaders are slowly warming to — and Hong, whom even several top progressives are keeping at arm's length. El-Sayed, a former public health official who campaigned on abolishing ICE and expanding Medicare to all Americans, signaled a willingness to reassure general election voters about his views on immigration while maintaining the pugilistic tone that helped him win a hard-fought primary. "We can have a secure border, we can enforce immigration policy, but we can do it without shooting people in the face or the back of the head," he said Friday. El-Sayed embraces the left but eschews the "democratic socialist" label, though many leading progressives who support him describe themselves that way. Many party bigwigs — mindful of Democrats' uphill fight to win control of the Senate — endorsed El-Sayed after his primary win. 😬 Hong's rollout onto the national political scene has been shakier. Hong is a restaurant owner-turned-state representative in Wisconsin whose shoestring campaign unexpectedly caught fire as she championed affordability and backed a moratorium on building data centers at a time when her opponents' campaigns were plagued by scandals. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is the chief Democratic candidate looking to stop her, backed by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D). As Hong has garnered national attention, she's gone viral for being mealymouthed when asked on CNN about a past social media post in which she called to "cancel Thanksgiving." Following her in Wisconsin, we saw signs she was adapting her message as voters asked her about her old posts at stop after stop. "People care about the solutions, not just slogans and labels," she told us. Hong told Politico she had "some bad takes on Twitter," but "I've evolved, I've learned." She and El-Sayed have faced criticism over former comments supporting "defunding" the police, which they both have walked back — taking a page from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's playbook. Friction point: Some Democratic strategists who think Hong is too far left point out that progressive leaders Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have endorsed El-Sayed, but not Hong. Hong told us she hasn't sought their endorsements. Senior Democratic Governors Association officials said Friday they believe all of their party's primary candidates could defeat Rep. Tom Tiffany, the expected GOP nominee for Wisconsin governor. Republicans are treating El-Sayed and Hong much the same, casting both as extreme and out of touch. Reality check: Hong still needs to win her primary Tuesday. Crowley, who's seen a bump in the polls, argues that Hong would be a liability for Democrats in the fall. "People don't like socialists," he told us. The bottom line: Hong's and El-Sayed's success or failure could serve as a signal to Democratic primary voters as they weigh the electability of a progressive presidential candidate in 2028. 👀 AOC, who's considering a run for Senate or president, is sure to be watching. Read more. — Holly Otterbein

New kind of flu shot is on the way as the FDA approves Moderna’s mRNA-based vaccine WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new kind of flu vaccine for older people, the first made with the same mRNA technology that was key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturer Moderna said. https://apnews.com/article/flu-vaccine-moderna-mrna-fda-mflusiva-59d991a6bf70c26e2f0c210cc8ca87f1?

How to spot the Perseid meteor shower, a summer light show that promises to dazzle NEW YORK (AP) — The Perseid summer light show is back — and viewing conditions are especially promising for the Northern Hemisphere. https://apnews.com/article/perseid-meteor-shower-2026-where-to-see-b8b8679bb5baed6461e012b8c8fa4634? How to spot the Perseid meteor shower, a summer light show that promises to dazzle The Perseid summer light show is back — and viewing conditions are especially promising for the Northern Hemisphere. Read More.

Lake Mead hits historic low water level as Colorado River struggles Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, has plummeted to its lowest water level since it was filled some 90 years ago, another sign of the crisis plaguing the Colorado River system. Years of overuse combined with drought and rising temperatures have been depleting Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the country’s second-largest reservoir. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Extreme heat and drought take a toll around the world, in photos Pilots of helicopter that crashed while fighting wildfire in Utah are dead, officials say Wildfires force 20,000 to flee as British Columbia declares state of emergency WATCH: Prolonged drought reveals a village buried beneath an Indonesian water reservoir

Senate confirms Todd Blanche as attorney general, cementing the ex-Trump attorney’s command of the Justice Department The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general in a vote early Saturday, cementing the command of President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer at a Department of Justice that Trump has sought to bend to his will. The path to confirmation for Blanche was unusually rocky, due in large part to Republican concerns about a controversial settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS. In the end, Blanche was confirmed by the narrowest of margins, opposed by two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — and by every Democrat. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, the decisive vote, throwing his support behind Blanche on Friday. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Appeals court rules Trump can’t build White House ballroom without congressional approval Senate passes sweeping Russia sanctions bill negotiated by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham A pillar of environmental enforcement is targeted by Trump and Musk’s AI company Senate approves funding bill to avoid a shutdown before the election Senate confirms Hamilton to lead FEMA and clears more than 70 other Trump nominees Senate confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director, bringing new leadership to troubled agency Senators head for the exits without meeting Trump’s demands for voting bill Pentagon revokes former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s access to classified information American economy in focus: US employers unexpectedly cut 23,000 jobs; mortgage rates rise again Federal judge orders Virginia county to replace Confederate school names it restored in 2024 House Democrats add 12 solidly Trump districts to their midterm election target list How Troy Jackson went from Maine logger to the Democratic nominee for Senate against Susan Collins Darline Graham tests value of a famous name vs. lack of experience in South Carolina primary Democrats try to present a united front in Michigan after bitter primary California may fine content creators who don’t disclose they were paid to post about politics Trump goes unmentioned but not ignored as Clinton, Bush and Obama step up as essayists on presidents

Iran war renews concerns about the lasting toll of traumatic brain injuries to US troops Military officials say the majority of American troops wounded in the Iran war have suffered traumatic brain injuries. That's raising fresh concerns about the lasting effects of such injuries, which were also a signature wound during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many people recover within weeks, but problems like memory loss and brain fog can persist for years. Colorado resident Joe Shearer says he's still plagued with dizziness, migraines and forgetfulness after experiencing two blasts in Iraq in 2005. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Houthis claim attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facility and Yemeni port, and other Mideast news Iran’s leaders think they have Trump cornered, but their strategy carries great risks Turkey says defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is not aimed at Iran or any other country Pentagon pushes defense companies to boost weapons production after concerns of depleted stocks US Army opens test ranges to small companies to try to get weapons quicker to the battlefield

👯‍♀️ We're having fewer twins Data: CDC. Chart: Brad Jennings/Axios Over the past decade, the rate of twin births has declined in the U.S., Axios' Carly Mallenbaum (a twin!) writes. Early use of IVF contributed to a twin baby boom. But as fertility treatments advanced, doctors increasingly recommended transferring a single embryo to reduce pregnancy risks. Fraternal twins can result when two embryos are transferred during IVF or when a woman releases two eggs in the same cycle, which becomes more common with age.

🤖 Mapped: Deepfakes and elections Data: NCSL. Map: Sara Wise/Axios Americans across the country could have very different experiences with AI deepfakes leading up to Election Day, thanks to a patchwork of state rules, Axios' Maria Curi reports. Twenty-nine states have AI election deepfake laws in effect. Two others — California and Hawaii — had their laws enjoined, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Explore the data …

🚗 Car buyers trade down Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios More premium car buyers are trading down to mainstream brands, Axios' Joann Muller reports from Detroit. They've discovered they can get lots of the same technology, comfort and features at a substantially lower price, according to new J.D. Power research. Why it matters: It's more bad news for luxury automakers that have been clobbered in recent years by Tesla and now Chinese competitors — and another reflection of how affordability is upending the U.S. car market. 🏁 A big reason: You can get many of the same tech and convenience features once associated only with luxury cars in a Chevy, Toyota or Hyundai.

☢️ Switzerland's Nuclear Bunkers A country of nine million has space in a nuclear fallout shelter for every single resident. Join 1440 as we explore how Switzerland has applied state capacity to the apocalypse—and what their recent reinvestment in the bunker system says about the state of the world. Watch the video here or click below:

The Atomic Buildup The Manhattan Project (watch overview) was a top-secret US government program that developed the world’s first atomic weapons. In 1938, scientists in Germany discovered nuclear fission—the splitting of an atom that releases enormous energy. Fearing Nazi Germany might build an atomic bomb, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized advisory committees to study nuclear weapons—efforts that evolved into the Manhattan Project in 1942. > Albert Einstein wrote a 1939 letter warning President Roosevelt about the possibility of atomic bombs—a decision he later regretted. (More) > Atomic bombs release nuclear energy by splitting large atomic nuclei. (More, w/video) The US Army Corps of Engineers oversaw the project under the direction of General Leslie Groves, with physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer serving as scientific director. Work took place across three primary sites where scientists produced the fissile material and designs for the first nuclear weapons. > The Manhattan Project's three key sites: Hanford, Washington, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Los Alamos, New Mexico. (More) > Meet the scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project. (More) > Cillian Murphy won best actor for his portrayal of Oppenheimer. (More, w/video) The project culminated in the Trinity test in July 1945, when a plutonium implosion bomb was detonated in the New Mexico desert. The Manhattan Project cost an estimated $27B in today’s dollars and ushered the world into the atomic era, reshaping global warfare, diplomacy, and the balance of power. > On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb used in warfare on Hiroshima, Japan, killing at least 80,000 people instantly. (More, w/photos) > The death toll of the atomic bombings in Japan remains disputed, with most deaths occurring within the first day. (More) Discover more: > US and Soviet/Russian leaders have previously agreed to arms control treaties, but rising tensions have caused deals to expire in recent years. (More) > Nearly 90% of the world's 12,187 nuclear warheads are held by Russia and the United States. (More, w/chart) > China doubled its nuclear stockpile between 2020 and 2025, with plans for further expansion. (More, w/video)

August 9, 2026 The Life Giver “I am the resurrection, and the life.” (John 11:25) In the gospel of John there are seven “I am” statements where Jesus claims to be one with the Father, e.g., “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). Jesus isn’t just God’s representative; He is God Himself—Immanuel—God with us. Being such, He is our Creator—our Life Giver. The same Jesus Christ who breathed His last breath on the cross breathed life into the first Adam (Genesis 2:7). “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). A “quickening spirit” is a life-giving spirit. In a great reversal, the last Adam brings forth the life that the first Adam’s fall took away. During His ministry, Jesus gave physical life. The hands that created the earth, moon, and sun touched Jairus’ dead daughter’s hand and said, “Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose” (Luke 8:54-55). He also “cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth” (John 11:43-44). The purpose of His ministry was to give spiritual, eternal life to sinners. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (14:6). As “the life,” death could not hold Him after His crucifixion and never held any power over Him. “I lay down my life, that I might take it again” (10:17). Because of His death and resurrection, now anyone can receive the living water “springing up into everlasting life” (4:14), and Jesus “will raise him up at the last day” (6:44). Jesus is indeed “he that liveth,” but He is far more than that (Revelation 1:18). Resurrection and eternal life reside in the person of Jesus—life-giving is part of His essence. Praise the Lord for sending Jesus to be our Life Giver! MJS