5 things to know for Aug. 28: Florida shooting, Tropical storm, Russia, Book bans, SpaceX

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN

(CNN) — Today marks 60 years since the March on Washington when Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his pivotal “I Have a Dream” speech on the National Mall. Around 250,000 people rallied for jobs and freedom that day on August 28, 1963. Decades later, many children who attended the march are renewing the call for King’s “dream” and reflecting on the nation’s past since the civil rights movement.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Florida shooting

Three people were killed Saturday in a racially motivated attack after a gunman targeted Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, in one of several weekend shootings that again shocked Americans. Authorities have launched a federal hate crime investigation after the 21-year-old White gunman left behind racist writings and used racial slurs. The attack in Florida is the latest in a number of shootings in recent years where a gunman has targeted Black people, including at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, last year and a historically Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015. It marked one of several shootings reported in the US over two days, including one near a parade in Boston, another outside a restaurant in Louisville, and a third at a high school football game in Oklahoma.

2. Tropical storm

Tropical Storm Idalia is expected to intensify into a hurricane today and make landfall in Florida on Wednesday morning near the Big Bend area, according to the National Hurricane Center. As the storm intensifies, a hurricane watch has been issued along Florida’s Gulf Coast, while a tropical storm watch has been issued for parts of the Lower Florida Keys. The storm’s expected arrival this week has prompted Florida to deploy swift water rescue teams as local officials called for evacuations, announced school closures and warned residents to prepare their property. Flash flooding is also expected across the west coast of Florida, the Florida Panhandle and southern Georgia as forecasts show the storm could drop up to 10 inches of rain in some areas.

3. Russia

Russian investigators say genetic tests have confirmed that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the 10 people killed in a plane crash last week. Prigozhin, who led a failed uprising against the Kremlin, had previously been named as one of those on board a private plane that crashed in a field northwest of Moscow last Wednesday, but until now, authorities had stopped short of confirming he died. Also killed was Dmitriy Utkin, a trusted lieutenant of Prigozhin’s since the beginning of the Wagner Group, and Valeriy Chekalov, a senior aide to Prigozhin. As questions now swirl around the Wagner Group’s future, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that requires Russian volunteer forces and those defending the country’s territory to swear allegiance to the Kremlin.

4. Book bans

Requests to ban books at public schools hit a 21-year high last year, according to data from the American Library Association. There were more than 1,000 requests to censor library books in 2022, a 70% increase over the previous year, according to recent ALA data. Texas had the highest number of attempts to restrict access to books, while Florida had the highest average number of titles challenged in each ban attempt. Nationwide, most of the books challenged were written by people of color or included LGBTQ themes. The parent groups behind the book bans say they want a clear process for reviewing books, identifying objectionable content and restricting access. Critics, on the other hand, say the absence of books that show representation of people of color, those in the LGBTQ community and other underrepresented groups could have harmful effects on students.

5. SpaceX

A SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts from four different countries docked Sunday at the International Space Station. They are joining the seven astronauts already on the orbiting laboratory. During their stay on the space station, which is expected to last about 180 days, the Crew-7 astronauts will work through a slate of experiments, including investigating the potential risk of dispersion of bacteria and fungi from human-led space missions. The mission is the most nationally diverse SpaceX mission to date — the astronauts include NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli, the mission commander; Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency; Satoshi Furukawa of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov of Roscosmos.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Americans are being asked tip more often, but is it really required?
Eateries and businesses are upping the pressure to tip at computer check-out screens. Listen to an etiquette expert explain when you should tip — and when you can skip.

How Starbucks created its own language for ordering coffee
Short, tall, venti, grande or trenta? Learn why Starbucks adopted terms commonly associated with Italian coffee bars.

Simone Biles makes history
The decorated gymnast won a record eighth all-around national title with a strong performance Sunday at the US Gymnastics Championships.

Viktor Hovland wins PGA Tour finale
Congratulations are in order for this 25-year-old professional golfer who claimed an $18 million prize on Sunday.

Do you have ‘gymtimidation’?
You head to the gym, and suddenly you’re anxious. These feelings, dubbed “gymtimidation,” can prevent you from achieving your goals. Here’s how to alleviate your fears.

TODAY’S NUMBER

$190 billion
That’s how much federal aid went to America’s K-12 schools during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, data shows many students are still struggling to catch up from the drastic changes they experienced during remote learning. A June report shows national average test scores for 13-year-olds plummeted during the 2022-23 school year when compared with pre-pandemic levels.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“I walked into the lion’s den with one simple message on behalf of our entire movement: I will never surrender our mission to save America.”

— Former President Donald Trump, sharing a fundraising note with his mug shot after being booked at the Fulton County jail last week. Trump’s campaign says it has raised over $7.1 million since the former president was processed at the Atlanta jail on Thursday in the Georgia election subversion case.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY …

This amazing dog trait may appear as a weird quirk
Dogs have incredible nasal abilities and some — even untrained — may be able to tell when you’re sick. Watch this video to learn how.

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