Posted below you will find a live up-to-date news feed of CNN Top Stories. The world is interconnected, and it is vital to remain current in global affairs.

• In a Friday night 'news conference,' the President linked Democrats' participation in stimulus negotiations to election malfeasance. He did not explain the allegation. August 8, 2020 2:18 am
  President Donald Trump turned a hastily scheduled Friday night "news conference" at his New Jersey golf club into a surreal kind of campaign rally -- uttering the usual boasts and false claims, except with polo-clad club members standing at the back of the room.
• Stimulus talks break down as negotiators walk away without deal August 8, 2020 1:05 am
  The Trump administration on Friday rejected a Democratic offer to agree to a stimulus price tag of around $2 trillion, the latest indication that talks continue to falter and may collapse completely with the two sides still far apart.
• Covid-19 has dealt a blow to Social Security's finances. Trump's payroll tax holiday could worsen it August 7, 2020 5:37 pm
  President Donald Trump's push for a payroll tax holiday could leave Social Security and Medicare on even shakier ground.
• Fact check: Will there be a Covid-19 vaccine by November? August 7, 2020 2:35 pm
  In a radio interview Thursday morning with Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera, President Donald Trump suggested that a vaccine for the coronavirus could be ready before Election Day.
• How to fact-check Donald Trump in realtime August 8, 2020 1:14 am
  Two recent interviews with President Donald Trump, one on Axios on HBO and another on Fox News Sunday, provide a lesson on how to fact-check the President in realtime. CNN's Daniel Dale breaks it down.
• Opinion: Covid's next casualty: American restaurants August 7, 2020 3:50 pm
  Restaurants help establish the unique character of our communities. But "restaurants are dying," says legendary chef Marcus Samuelsson. "Four out of five of our favorite independent restaurants may not survive this shutdown."
• Jerry Falwell Jr. takes leave of absence from Liberty University August 8, 2020 4:13 am
  Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University, has agreed to take an "indefinite leave of absence," according to a statement Friday from the evangelical Christian university.
• GOP lawmaker calls on Falwell Jr. to resign over photo August 7, 2020 11:18 pm
  Rep. Mark Waller (R-NC) calls on Jerry Falwell Jr. to resign as president of Liberty University after Falwell posted a now-deleted photo on Instagram with his pants unzipped and his arm around a woman.
• How the investigation into Rudy Giuliani is unfolding August 7, 2020 11:40 pm
  With the presidential election fewer than 90 days away, federal prosecutors in New York face a narrowing window in which to take overt steps -- including bring charges -- in their investigation of Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, and his Soviet-born associates.
• Judges cite John Roberts' opinion in reversing block on Arkansas abortion laws August 7, 2020 11:36 pm
  A panel of federal appeals judges used Chief Justice John Roberts' opinion in the Supreme Court's recent decision protecting abortion access to allow several Arkansas abortion restrictions to go back into effect -- a seemingly counterintuitive outcome that advocates on both sides of the abortion issue had predicted.
• Maggie Haberman: The optics of this announcement are not great August 8, 2020 2:11 am
  CNN's Maggie Haberman questions the optics of President Donald Trump speaking about a stimulus plan while at an exclusive golf club and warns the move could backfire if he doesn't follow through on his threat of executive action to help Americans hit economically by the coronavirus.
• Analysis: Trump, TikTok and a dangerous precedent for democracy August 8, 2020 7:15 am
  President Donald Trump's ongoing battle with TikTok is becoming one of the most curious chapters in America's emerging cold war with China. Earlier this week, Trump issued an executive order which gave the Chinese social media giant until the middle of September to find an American buyer or be banned in the country. He also issued a similar executive order for the Chinese messaging service WeChat.
• Teacher anxious over return to work interrupts governor. See his reaction August 7, 2020 2:21 pm
  Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was being introduced at a press conference when a teacher interrupted to ask if he would talk with her.
• Americans are moving around too much and taking coronavirus with them, expert says August 8, 2020 6:45 am
  Covid-19 precautions need to stay consistent -- whether or not the numbers are coming down -- because the more Americans move around the more the virus does too, a health expert said.
• Video shows another Black man in custody repeatedly pleading, 'I can't breathe,' before his death August 8, 2020 12:36 am
  Video that shows a Black man in apparent medical distress repeatedly telling officers, "I can't breathe," days before he died in a hospital was released this week following a North Carolina judge's order.
• 260 students and 8 teachers quarantined in Georgia district after first week of school August 8, 2020 3:38 am
  At least 260 students and eight teachers from a suburban school district in Atlanta, Georgia, were quarantined after multiple students and teachers tested positive for Covid-19 during the first week of school.
• 'Stunning': Dr. Gupta reacts to video at Trump's club August 8, 2020 12:39 am
  A crowd of people at President Trump's country club in Bedminster, New Jersey, gathered to hear his speech. Many people in the audience were not wearing masks despite masks being required in the state of New Jersey.
• A man who was sentenced to life in prison for selling $30 of marijuana will be freed August 8, 2020 4:51 am
  A military veteran serving a life sentence for selling less than $30 worth of marijuana will soon be released from prison, his attorney said.
• The US is approaching 5 million coronavirus cases
• Video shows couple standing close to Beirut blast site August 7, 2020 5:14 pm
  A couple standing less than 600 meters from the blast site survived the explosion in Beirut - they are now recovering in hospital.
• Salmonella outbreak linked to onions expands to hundreds of people sickened in 43 states August 8, 2020 6:25 am
  A salmonella outbreak caused by onions is expanding and has infected 640 people from 43 states. At least 85 of them have been hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
• Professor who's been right about every president since 1984 reveals his '20 pick August 7, 2020 3:50 pm
  History professor Allan Lichtman is used to being right.
• Actor turned Instagram star shares baby photos with Anderson Cooper August 8, 2020 12:29 am
  CNN's Anderson Cooper asks actor Leslie Jordan about his baby photos that he's been posting online during quarantine. Watch Full Circle every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at 6pm ET.
• Plane aborted first landing before skidding off runway, killing at least 17 August 8, 2020 6:28 am
  An Air India Express plane crashed in the South Indian state of Kerala after skidding off the runway and breaking into two while landing at Kozhikode Calicut International Airport.
• NHL's Seattle Kraken hire the league's first Black full-time play-by-play announcer August 8, 2020 6:57 am
  The NHL's newest team just hired the league's first full-time Black play-by-play announcer.
• The NCAA's FCS playoffs will not happen this fall after two more conferences postpone football August 8, 2020 5:18 am
  The College Football Playoff, which crowns a champion at college football's highest level, is still on as scheduled. But with the Covid-19 pandemic, more of the fall football season is getting wiped out -- and possibly will be moved to the spring.
• Father saves kids from huge alligator August 6, 2020 3:37 pm
  Andrew Grande, a Texas father, saved his kids from an approximately 12-foot alligator looming in a canal they were near.
• Haotong Li 'surprised' to be leading golf major and surprised by questions about President Trump August 8, 2020 7:16 am
  Chinese golfer Haotong Li hopes to write his own unique piece of history this weekend in San Francisco. But he's also finding it's the letters on his cap that are prompting questions about US President Donald Trump.
• Woman attacks another after she is asked to put on mask August 6, 2020 3:46 am
  A woman has been charged with aggravated assault for allegedly attacking another woman after she asked her to properly wear a face mask at a New Jersey Staples store, police said.
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer met with Biden to discuss VP job, sources say August 8, 2020 2:40 am
  Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has met with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, making her one of the handful of vice presidential finalists to meet with Biden.
• Karen Bass faces scrutiny as she emerges as potential Biden VP pick August 7, 2020 11:52 pm
  Karen Bass was mostly unknown outside of California when her name popped up as a potential running mate to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
• Opinion: Biden's VP selection should hinge on this one question August 5, 2020 7:47 pm
  As Joe Biden approaches his selection of a Democratic running mate, insiders have been telling reporters that his team is asking three questions of the remaining female candidates:
• Trump claims Biden, a devout Catholic, wants to 'hurt God' August 6, 2020 9:24 pm
  CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports that President Donald Trump has been trying to associate former Vice President Joe Biden with the "radical left" and shore up support among evangelical voters.
• What Cameron Diaz doesn't have to explain August 8, 2020 12:07 am
  In an interview this week with Gwyneth Paltrow, the actress Cameron Diaz discussed her decision to quit acting, offering reasons that focused on bettering her quality of life. "I had gone so hard for so long," she told Paltrow in an episode of "In goop Health: The Sessions" series, and mentioned 12-hour workdays that went on for months.
• Alyssa Milano thought she was dying and tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies August 7, 2020 2:10 am
  Alyssa Milano says she has tested positive for coronavirus antibodies after having tested negative for Covid-19.
• Actor Leslie Jordan reveals details of his life in quarantine August 8, 2020 3:06 am
  Actor and comedian Leslie Jordan has been anything but idle during his stay at home.
• Dr. Sanjay Gupta answers your child's coronavirus questions August 7, 2020 9:50 pm
  CNN has received many great questions from parents and their children about coronavirus. As a father of three girls, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta knows how important it is to talk to your kids about this virus, and make sure they understand what's happening during the pandemic. Parents, if your son or daughter has a question for Sanjay, submit it below and he will answer as many as he can.
• Actor's hilarious quarantine videos take internet by storm August 8, 2020 1:53 am
  CNN's Anderson Cooper talks to actor Leslie Jordan about his life during the coronavirus pandemic in a new segment called "You and Your Quarantine." Watch Full Circle every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at 6pm ET.
• Artist draws portraits of refugees to illustrate the struggles of immigrating to America August 8, 2020 5:29 am
  When Aimee Ingabire stepped off the plane with her mother, taking her first steps on American soil after a 32-hour journey from the Republic of Congo, she knew her life had changed forever.
• The best liquid eyeliners of 2020 July 24, 2020 9:33 pm
  Is there any better feeling than nailing the perfect cat-eye on your first attempt and confidently sauntering through the day, knowing that it'll still be intact the next time you pass a mirror? (Well, probably — but it's pretty up there, is what we're saying.)
• These unknown brands took over store shelves while Purell and Clorox disappeared August 5, 2020 5:02 pm
  Walk into any drug store, grocery chain or market today, and you'll be hit with a wall of hand sanitizers and cleaning products that help fight against the coronavirus — but most have names that are unfamiliar to the average shopper.
• GM unveils its first fully-electric Cadillac SUV August 6, 2020 11:44 pm
  In a major bid to compete with Tesla and other electric vehicle makers, General Motors unveiled the Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV Thursday night. The Lyriq is the first fully-electric Cadillac introduced by GM, which is preparing to unveil a whole new lineup of electric cars, trucks and SUVs.
• 'Mulan' is finally heading to Disney+... for $30 August 4, 2020 10:10 pm
  Disney's "Mulan" has been delayed multiple times this year because of the coronavirus outbreak, but audiences will finally be able to see the blockbuster soon.
• What's behind Trump's mail-in ballot reversal in Florida August 7, 2020 5:42 pm
  "Florida Man" has become a well-known Internet meme in recent years after Twitter users highlighted the bizarre news stories that seem to emerge frequently from the Sunshine State. Recent headlines include: "Florida man jumps onto hood of truck, holds on for 9 miles," "Florida man kills Burger King employee after order takes too long" and "Florida man tries to buy Rolex watches with check printed from home computer."
• Michelle Obama and Melinda Gates: What worries us August 7, 2020 2:00 pm
  Today should have been a school day for 15-year-old Fortunate Ayomirwoth. But for the past five months, her school has been closed. Fortunate now spends her days at home in a small suburb of Kampala, Uganda, doing chores, caring for her four younger siblings, and hoping there will be enough food to eat. Since her mother lost her job, money has been tight -- and for Fortunate, her window of opportunity feels like it, too, is getting tighter.
• The cold, hard truth about returning to school August 7, 2020 11:16 pm
  In the next few weeks, public schools in the US will embark on a grand experiment, balancing the safety of 51 million students with their academic, social and emotional needs. The coronavirus pandemic forced schools across the country to switch to remote learning this spring. Now administrators and politicians have to figure out how to reopen this fall with the virus still raging. The result could topple the already fragile ecosystem of schools in this country and devastate public education for years.
• Loudest opponents of women's vote were...women August 7, 2020 8:27 pm
  On a Friday afternoon in April 1909, a group gathered in lower Manhattan to debate women's right to vote (a right extended at that time only to women in select Western states, except for a few others that allowed women to vote in school-related elections).
• The mystery of Dr. Birx August 7, 2020 10:21 am
  As the Covid-19 debacle continues to worsen, Dr. Deborah Birx, who entered the scene in March as Corona Task Force Chair Vice President Mike Pence's "right arm," has emerged as a new person to blame.
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• Plane overshoots runway and crashes in southern India August 7, 2020 8:22 pm
  An Air India Express flight skidded off the runway at Kozhikode Calicut International Airport, officials said.
• Judges were warned about dangerous cargo stored at the Beirut port. Here's how they responded August 7, 2020 8:27 pm
  Newly released documents suggest multiple government agencies in Lebanon were informed about ammonium nitrate being housed at a warehouse in Beirut port, including the Ministry of Justice.
• Couple standing less than 600 meters from blast site survives Beirut explosion August 7, 2020 3:25 pm
  The glass and debris from Tuesday's explosion in Beirut injured Imad Khalil and Lina Alameh, but both say they are lucky to be alive.
• India now has more than 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases August 7, 2020 12:10 pm
  India has recorded more than 2 million total coronavirus cases, only three weeks after announcing it had hit 1 million confirmed infections, as the country's healthcare systems buckle under the pressure of the escalating pandemic.
• China seals off village after bubonic plague death in Inner Mongolia August 7, 2020 5:42 am
  Authorities in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia have sealed off a village after a resident there died from bubonic plague, a centuries-old disease responsible for the most deadly pandemic in human history.
• Riders begin to gather in South Dakota for 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally August 8, 2020 2:39 am
  Hundreds of motorcycle riders and enthusiasts are arriving in Sturgis, South Dakota, for the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally despite objections from a majority of its residents.
• Colorado State halts football activities after allegations of racism and verbal abuse August 8, 2020 6:29 am
  Colorado State University has paused all football-related activities indefinitely, the school's director of athletics said, after learning of racism and verbal abuse allegations from within the Rams' athletic administration and in the football program.
• A Denver fire that killed two children and three adults was deliberately set, police say August 8, 2020 6:41 am
  A house fire that killed three adults and two children in Denver was deliberately set by someone who fled the area, authorities said.
• FBI helping in search for Georgia woman whose toddler was found wandering alone in Florida August 7, 2020 1:05 am
  The FBI is now involved in the case of a missing Georgia woman whose toddler was found barefoot, wandering alone in a Florida city almost two weeks ago.
• Three dismissed from University of Louisville men's soccer team after organizing a party August 7, 2020 6:33 am
  Three University of Louisville men's soccer players have been dismissed from the team after organizing a party amid the coronavirus pandemic, the school's athletics department said Thursday. The party may have contributed to the spread Covid-19 among student-athletes.
• Kendall Jenner opens the doors to her bohemian LA home July 29, 2020 12:09 pm
  Kendall Jenner may hail from one of America's most lavish celebrity families, but her Los Angeles home is more toned-down than you might expect.
• Beyoncé's 'Black Is King' is a feast of fashion and symbolism July 31, 2020 6:34 pm
  There are many quotable lines and lyrics in "Black Is King," Beyoncé's new visual album, which dropped today on Disney+. But two in particular seem especially apt to describe the stylistic feast the artist has created. The first comes three minutes in: "Let Black be synonymous with joy."
• China's Three Gorges Dam is one of the largest ever created. Was it worth it? August 1, 2020 1:27 am
  Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydropower project ever built.
• 'Indian Matchmaking' presents painful truths about skin color and love July 23, 2020 3:51 am
  On Netflix's "Indian Matchmaking," marriage consultant Sima Taparia travels the world to meet with hopeful clients and help them find the perfect match for an arranged marriage.
• British Vogue's editor-in-chief Edward Enninful calls for more education after racial profiling incident August 4, 2020 11:33 am
  Edward Enninful hit headlines when he became editor-in-chief of British Vogue more than two years ago, making him the first Black person at the helm of the magazine. Since then he has become a recognizable face in fashion and beyond, leading the way towards a more diverse magazine and team of people behind it. But his fame did not help him avoid being racially profiled at Condé Nast's London offices in early July.
• Eurovision Song Contest is coming to America August 7, 2020 2:14 pm
  One of the world's most popular singing competitions is headed to the United States.
• 'Howard' doc review August 7, 2020 2:25 pm
  Disney honors one of its own with "Howard," an emotional documentary tribute to the late "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin" lyricist Howard Ashman. Teamed with composer Alan Menken, nobody did more to put the studio's animation back on the map, making his loss to AIDS in the midst of that run all the more poignant.
• How 'The Matrix' is a trans story August 7, 2020 2:24 pm
  Netflix has posted a Twitter thread explaining the trans themes in "The Matrix," after one of its co-directors confirmed earlier this week that the movie was an allegory for gender transition.