The Perseid meteor shower peaks Aug. 12 and 13, with the best views expected between midnight and dawn under a new moon. NASA says the shower can produce about 50 to 100 meteors per hour, while the BBC reports that especially lucky viewers could see more than 100.
News Mash
Minnesota voters are deciding competitive primaries for open U.S. Senate and governor’s races. Immigration policy, state fraud scandals and Donald Trump’s endorsement of Mike Lindell are shaping the contests.
Tyler Boebert, the 21-year-old son of Rep. Lauren Boebert, was arrested in Colorado on child exploitation and delinquency charges. Authorities said he was released on $10,000 bond and the case remains under investigation.
Rep. Ilhan Omar is demanding answers after she said a Homeland Security Investigations agent was parked outside her Richfield, Minnesota, town hall in a vehicle with mismatched plates. Omar said local police had not been told of any undercover operation and questioned the purpose of the agent’s presence.
South Carolina Republicans are voting in a special primary to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on the November ballot. His sister, interim Sen. Darline Graham, leads a crowded 10-candidate field that includes two members of Congress and a former governor.
Wisconsin and Minnesota voters are deciding primaries that pit progressive candidates against more moderate rivals in key statewide races. The contests are shaped by questions of electability, Trump’s influence and Democratic strategy heading into November.
A Damascus court sentenced ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia after convicting him of crimes committed during Syria’s civil war. Assad’s cousin Atef Najib was also sentenced to death, while Al Jazeera reported that Assad’s brother Maher received the same sentence in absentia.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of using North Korean ballistic missiles in overnight attacks that killed at least nine civilians in Ukraine. Russia said it targeted defence industry and logistics sites, while Ukraine also struck warehouses in Russia’s Voronezh region.