Summary‍

Taylor Swift was forced to cancel her Austria leg of the Eras Tour due to a terrorist threat on the stadium. A state of emergency was declared in Kursk, Russia as Ukrainian troops advance forward across the border. Illinois state governor calls for the resignation of the sheriff who oversaw the deputy who fatally shot and killed Sonya Massey in her home. The UK and Egypt has instructed their commercial airlines to avoid flying over Iranian and Lebanese airspace as tensions rise in the Middle East. The family of Paul-Henri Nargeolet is suing OceanGate for the Titanic submersible that killed the explorer last summer. 

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Today's Script

Hello everyone! Today is Thursday, August 8th, my name is Gabe, and you’re listening to Current2, brought to you by Just Bagels! 

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In Must Know News:

• A trio of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows in Vienna, Austria have been canceled after government officials confirmed there was a planned terrorist attack targeting the concerts. According to an Instagram post run by Swift’s team, all tickets will be refunded and ticket holders can visit a website to request refunds. Do you know how bad of a person you have to be to make TicketMaster the good guys in a story? 
• A state of emergency has been declared in the Kursk region of Russia as Ukrainian troops continue to advance in what appears to be the country’s largest cross-border attack since the beginning of the war. According to the region’s acting governor Alexei Smirnov, at least thousands of people have been evacuated from the border, with doctors from other cities being drafted into the region to treat casualties. 
• This Wednesday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called for the resignation of the sheriff whose deputy fatally shot Sonya Massey in her home last month after she, a Black woman, had called 911 for help. Pritzker’s call for Sheriff Jack Campbell to step down amongst many reasons arises from the fact that Campbell failed to sit down with Sonya Massey’s family members, with Pritzker saying “at a minimum, listen to them, hear them, and then hopefully, take action.”  
• After the recent killing of Hezbollah leaders, the UK and Egypt have asked their commercial airlines to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace over fears of a major border conflict in the region. Flights around the world to Israel and Lebanon are now being canceled as a result. United Airlines, who has canceled all flights to Tel Aviv since late July, said flights to the region will remain suspended until further notice.
• The family of French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet is suing OceanGate, the company responsible for the Titan submarine disaster last summer. The family is asking 50 million in wrongful death charges after the ship, on its way to see the Titanic, suffered catastrophic pressure loss and imploded, killing all 6 passengers, including Nargeolet. Allegedly, industry experts had raised safety concerns years before the accident that were ignored by OceanGate.

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A Word from Our Sponsor: 

• The week’s almost over, but there’s no reason to slack on your breakfast. Try a bagel from Just Bagels and taste the real, authentic taste of a New York bagel. Use code “News” for 10% off your order today at JustBagels.com! 

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That’s all for your news today, thank you so much for listening. If you liked today’s episode, make sure to share it with your friends. Have a great rest of your Thursday and as always, thank you for listening to Current2, the easy way to stay informed! 

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Sources:

Taylor Swift Eras tour canceled over terrorist threat (NBC)

State of emergency declared in areas of Russia as Ukrainian troops advance (ABC, BBC)

Illinois governor calls for resignation of sheriff overseeing Sonya Massey killing (AP)

UK and Egypt ask for airlines to halt flights over Iran and Lebanon (Reuters)

Family of Titanic submersible sue OceanGate (CBS)