June 6 top stories
It is June 6. Here are today’s top stories.
PGA Tour agrees to merge with LIV Golf
The PGA Tour and its rival LIV Golf League, which is funded by the Saudi government, have agreed on a merger. It is a surprising development because both entities have sued each other and were very bitter in the past.
Now the PGA and LIV will combine their businesses and rights into a new company that would also include the DP World Tour, as known as the European PGA Tour. The merger would end all pending litigation. Former PGA Tour players who signed deals with LIV will no longer be banned by the PGA Tour.
LIV and the Saudi government said they would invest in the new entity.
Major dam in Ukraine collapses
AP News said a major dam in southern Ukraine collapsed, flooding villages, endangering crops, and threatening drinking water supplies. The dam is called the Kakhova dam and it was built in the 1950s on the Dnieper River. The area where the dam is has been controlled by Russian forces for over a year.
AP said both sides, Ukraine and Russia, pointed fingers at each other. Ukraine said Russian forces blew up the dam, while Russia said Ukrainian bombardment caused the dam to collapse.
About 38,000 people live in areas that are at risk of flooding. The dam previously held a reservoir that was one of the world’s largest.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said this incident is the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.
Cornel West to run for presidency
A former Harvard philosophy professor named Cornel West, who CNN described as a “public intellectual,” said he would run for the presidency as a third-party candidate — the People’s Party.
West was a supporter and a surrogate of Sen. Bernie Sanders when he ran for the presidency in 2016 and 2020.
West said he decided to “run for truth and justice” and that he cares about “whether you have access to a job with a living wage, decent housing, women having control over their bodies, health for all.”
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Man who killed 2 jail guards to be executed
A 42-year-old Missouri man named Michael Tisius, who shot and killed two jail guards over 22 years ago, is set to be executed tonight via lethal injection at a state prison in Missouri.
CBS News explained that in 2000 when Tisius was 19 years old, he was jailed for pawning a stereo system that was actually rented. At the jail, he met an inmate named Roy Vance. When Tisius was nearing his release, he made a plot with Vance to help him escape. When Tisius was released, he met up with Vance’s girlfriend Tracie Bulington and went back to the jail carrying a pistol. Tisius shot and killed two guards, who were unarmed. Tisius then got keys and tried to open Vance’s cell, but he couldn’t. He fled the jail with Vance’s girlfriend in a car, but their car broke down and they were arrested.
CBS News said Bulington and Vance are currently serving life sentences on murder convictions.
Tisius’ attorneys tried to get the Supreme Court to spare Tisius’ life because he was only 19 at the time of the killings, but the Supreme Court turned that argument down.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he wouldn’t commute Tisius’ sentence to life in prison
Chris Christie to run for presidency
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is entering the Republican presidential race. It will be his second time running for the presidency.
Christie used to be an ally of Donald Trump, but now he will be his rival.
In related news, former Vice President Mike Pence formally filed paperwork to enter the Republican race.
Prince Harry testifies in London court
Prince Harry testified in a courtroom in London today as a part of his case against a major British newspaper publisher called Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).
CNN explained that Prince Harry said his phone was hacked and that MGN did several illegal activities to gather information about his life, but that MGN is challenging the claims, saying there is no evidence to the allegations or that it is too late to bring it up in court.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/06/pga-tour-agrees-to-merge-with-saudi-backed-rival-liv-golf.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/05/politics/cornel-west-third-party-2024-bid/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/prince-harry-testifies-london-courtroom-mgn-06-06-23/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/06/politics/chris-christie-2024-announcement/index.html