There’s a lot of news to catch up on this morning, but we know your brain has already clocked out for the weekend so we went ahead and did the work for you. Here’s a quick look at the trending stories everyone will be talking about today:
1. Stop the H8.
An Orthodox Jewish man stabbed six people at the Jerusalem Gay Pride parade yesterday. No one was killed, but two of the victims were critically injured. Police say the suspect is the same man who stabbed three people at a different Pride parade in 2005. He went to jail for 10 years, was released only a few weeks ago and turned up at this year’s parade to strike again. Let’s hope when they lock him up this time, they throw away the key. – BBC
More:Interview: Lance Bass on the importance of Gay Pride
2. Put that in your green smoothie and drink it.
An independent analysis conducted by the Associated Press found the water at Olympic venues in Rio de Janeiro is so wildly contaminated with feces that it’s “basically raw sewage.” The Olympics begin in Rio on Aug. 5, 2016, and more than 10,000 athletes from 200 countries are expected to compete. The big concern here is, of course, the athletes getting sick. Swimmers and rowers training in Rio have already fallen ill. John Coates, the Vice President of the International Olympic Committee, called preparations for the 2016 Olympics the “worst we’ve ever seen.” – Sports Illustrated
3. Under new management.
The Taliban confirmed yesterday that Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour is their new leader, following the death of former leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. A few weeks ago, the Afghan government held its first face-to-face talks with the Taliban, hoping to come to a compromise that would create peace in the region. Since the new guy took the reins, those peace talks have stalled out. It’s unclear whether or not they’re going to remain that way. – Reuters
4. #ShellNo, we won’t go.
Yesterday a Shell Oil icebreaker was able to move past protesters and leave Portland to bring supplies to an Arctic drilling operation. For the past two days, Greenpeace protesters have been hanging from St. John’s Bridge in an effort to block the ship’s passage. They were cleared out last night by police, and “kayaktivists” — activists in kayaks — paddled out into the boat’s path to make a last stand. Ultimately, it navigated around them and Greenpeace was slapped with a $17,500 fine for their efforts. – USA Today
More: Real-life hero Isabel Lucas devotes herself to Greenpeace International
5. Making history.
More Olympic news as Beijing is selected to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. The Chinese capital will be the first in the world to have hosted both the summer and winter games. The 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing were a resounding success, and city officials say they hope to use the 2022 winter Games to inspire interest in winter sports among the 300 million residents of northern China who pretty much couldn’t care less. – The New York Times
More: Meet these amazing Olympic athletes who are also moms
6. Ebola, you’re going down.
A new vaccine has proven highly effective against Ebola, says the World Health Organization. Trials of the vaccine began in March in Guinea and have gone so well that health officials decided to offer immediate vaccination to at-risk groups. The idea is to offer the vaccine to any close contacts of infected people to reduce the likelihood that they’ll get sick and to stop the virus from spreading. More than 10,000 people have died since the Ebola epidemic began last year. A successful and relatively safe vaccine is a huge development. – CNN
7. Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone…
If you’ve been waiting on something that only happens “once in a blue moon,” then today could be your lucky day. Tonight we will get a sneak peek at a legendary blue moon, though before you get your hopes up, I should warn you that it probably won’t be blue. The term “blue moon is actually used any time there is a second full moon in a single month. Tonight’s moon is an oddity, but will probably still be gray and white. Either way, it’s an excuse to make puns and do something weird. Go out and get crazy. – ABC News
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