The regional bureau of The Associated Press, shares 10 things you need to know Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items and much more in West Virginia newspapers.
1. WHO TRUMP IS BLAMING FOR CHARLOTTESVILLE RESPONSE
During a rally in Phoenix, the president blames the media for the widespread condemnation of his reaction to the deadly protest organized by white supremacists.
2. NAVY 7TH FLEET COMMANDER REMOVED
The dismissal of Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin follows four Navy accidents in the Pacific since late January, including two collisions that left sailors dead and missing.
3. WHAT TALK CLIMATE CHANGE IS SPURRING IN ARCTIC
With ice pushing farther north each year, the remote region’s natural resources, shipping routes, fishing and tourism opportunities are increasingly in demand, AP finds.
4. KANSAS ELECTIONS CHIEF’S PROPOSALS RAISE CONCERNS
Kris Kobach oversees a system that threw out at least three times as many ballots as any similarly sized state did, fueling concerns about massive voter suppression, AP learns.
5. HOW ACTIVISTS GET WORD OUT IN NORTH KOREA
Politically minded South Koreans send thousands of leaflets, DVDs and flash drives by hot-air balloon into the North hoping to bring change to the isolated country.
6. IRAN’S ROLE IN SYRIA WAR COULD PAY BIG DIVIDENDS
Tehran is getting closer to securing a land corridor to the Mediterranean, from its border, through Iraq and allies in Syria, Lebanon.
7. STUDIES: AUTOMATED SAFETY SYSTEMS PREVENTING CAR CRASHES
Innovations that prevent cars from drifting into another lane or that warn drivers of vehicles in their blind spots are living up to their potential, researchers say.
8. WALMART DIVES INTO VOICE-ACTIVATED SHOPPING
The world’s largest retailer says it’s working with Google to offer hundreds of thousands of items from laundry detergent to Legos for voice purchasing through Google Assistant.
9. WHAT’S IN A NAME
For ESPN broadcaster Robert Lee, it was enough to get him pulled off the announcing team for a University of Virginia football game in Charlottesville, the site of recent deadly protests.
10. NBA BLOCKBUSTER SEES POINT GUARDS CHANGE ADDRESSES
Basketball All-Star Kyrie Irving gets his wish by being traded out of Cleveland, with Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas poised to join LeBron James on the Cavaliers.