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A preliminary 7.0-magnitude earthquake has hit the Aegean Sea off Greece and Turkey, destroying at least six buildiâ€twitter.com/i/web/status/1…us
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The US has hit a grim milestone for daily cases with more than 87,000 new infections Thursday. This comes six daysâ€twitter.com/i/web/status/1…jK
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The US logged 83,757 daily new coronavirus cases Thursday, the highest single day reporting since the pandemic begaâ€twitter.com/i/web/status/1…28
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A federal appeals court has ruled that mailed-in ballots in Minnesota must be received by elections officials no laâ€twitter.com/i/web/status/1…Dr
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Jerry Falwell Jr., who resigned as president of Liberty University in August after a sex scandal and other controveâ€twitter.com/i/web/status/1…VL
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More than 80 million people have voted in the US so far with five days left until Election Dtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…WrzBf6
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Amazon profit soars a staggering 197% in the latest quarter as shoppers turned to the online giant to deliver goodsâ€twitter.com/i/web/status/1…9y
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Police: Moviegoer accidentally shoots himself in the rear
A man carried a gun into a movie theater and accidentally shot himself with it, police in Sparks, Nevada, say.
According to an incident report, police received several calls Tuesday night reporting shots being fired inside the Sparks Century Theater downtown, where "The Bourne Legacy" was playing. Multiple police units and other emergency personnel rushed to the theater, but officers quickly determined that only one shot had been fired.
Witnesses told police the man's gun had gone off when he adjusted his position in his seat. They said he quickly got up, apologized to other patrons sitting near him and left the theater before police arrived.
Officers later found the man at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Reno with a gunshot wound to his buttocks. He told them his gun - for which he had a valid concealed-carry permit - fell out of his pocket and discharged when it hit the floor.
Seattle pitcher throws perfect game
Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez on Wednesday afternoon pitched the 23rd perfect game in Major League Baseball history and the third this season.
Hernandez, the 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner, retired all 27 Tampa Bay Rays batters in order as the Mariners beat the Rays 1-0 at Seattle's Safeco Field. He struck out 12 of those batters, including the last one, third baseman Sean Rodriguez.
This is the third no-hitter and second perfect game at Safeco Field this season. Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox threw a perfect game against the Mariners on April 21, and six Seattle pitchers combined to hold the Los Angeles Dodgers hitless on June 8, according to mlb.com.
Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants threw the other perfect game this year, a 10-0 gem against the Houston Astros on June 13.
Johan Santana of the New York Mets and Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels have thrown no-hitters this season, but both pitchers allowed batters to reach base.
Hernandez's feat was the fourth no-hitter in Mariners history. Randy Johnson threw one in 1990 and Chris Bosio had one in 1993.
Mash-up: Smoke climbs 30,000 feet
The CNN Daily Mash-up is a roundup of some of the most interesting, surprising, curious, poignant or significant items to appear on CNN.com in the past 24 hours. We top it with a collection of the day's most striking photographs from around the world.
That's not a volcano
About an hour into a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Chicago, CNN iReporter Dave Hanna of Albany, Oregon, saw a massive smoke plume from a wildfire. It looked like a volcanic eruption.
"I took the first shot of what looked like a big fire, but as we went further along it started to look like a volcano," he told CNN. "I am guessing the smoke went up 30,000 feet. Other passengers were looking out their windows as well."
West Nile virus widow grieves
Betty Best lost her husband, Howard, to the West Nile virus outbreak that has killed 16 people in Texas and 26 nationwide. She says she's ready to leave the Lone Star State - and perhaps this world - behind.
I don't have a lot of desire to hang around here now. And I hope my children understand. You've been with someone 65 years and you go put them in the ground and a part of you goes in there, too.
FULL POST
Lightning strike hurts 10 at Fort Drum
A bolt of lightning left 10 soldiers from the New Jersey National Guard with minor injuries during a training exercise Tuesday night, a military spokesman said.
The soldiers were taking part in an exercise in a tent at Fort Drum, outside Watertown, New York, when the lightning strike occurred, 1st Sgt. David Moore told CNN. The injured were members of the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and were among about 2,000 troops taking part in an annual training camp, he said.
FULL STORYDallas mayor declares emergency as West Nile virus spreads
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings declared Wednesday that the city is facing an emergency as the West Nile virus spreads, killing at least 14 people in Texas and 26 nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Dallas declaration clears the way for aerial spraying to kill the infected mosquitos that carry the disease.
The United States is experiencing its biggest spike in West Nile virus since 2004, with 241 cases of the disease reported nationwide this year so far, including four deaths, health officials said last weekend, before the latest totals.
Of the 42 states that have reported infections in people, birds or mosquitoes, 80% of them have been in Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. The CDC listed a breakdown of infections by state.
"It is not clear why we are seeing more activity than in recent years," said Marc Fischer, a CDC medical epidemiologist. "Regardless of the reasons for the increase, people should be aware of the West Nile virus activity in their area and take action to protect themselves and their family."
The virus is transmitted through infected mosquitoes.
In the United States, most infections occur between June and September, and peak in August, according to the CDC.
Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash.
"Less than 1% develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues)," the CDC said.
Those at greater risk are people older than 50 and those with conditions such as cancer, diabetes and kidney disease, or with organ transplants.
There are no medications to treat West Nile virus or vaccines to prevent infection. People with milder illnesses typically recover on their own, but those more seriously affected may need hospital care.
Health experts say prevention measures include avoiding mosquito bites, using insect repellant and getting rid of insect breeding sites.
Prince Philip taken to hospital, Buckingham Palace says
Britain's Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in Scotland on Wednesday afternoon as a precautionary measure, Buckingham Palace said.
It is not yet clear what has caused the concern for the 91-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, who was out and about on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England, earlier this week.
Prince Philip has suffered a couple of health scares in the past year.
He received hospital treatment for a bladder infection in June, after falling ill during events to mark the queen's diamond jubilee.
In December, he spent four nights in a hospital over the Christmas period for treatment of a blocked coronary artery.
The longest-serving consort in British history, Philip married then-Princess Elizabeth in November 1947 in Westminster Abbey.
Born the prince of Greece and Denmark on the Greek island of Corfu in 1921, Philip left Greece with his family when he was 18 months old after King Constantine was forced to abdicate the throne
following a revolution. The family moved to Paris and then to England in 1928. Philip also went to school in Germany.
Philip renounced his Greek title when he became a naturalized British subject in 1947.
- CNN's Max Foster contributed to this report.
Wednesday's live events
The two major parties will come together in the next few weeks to make their presidential tickets official. CNN.com Live is your home for all the action from the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
Today's programming highlights...
12:00 pm ET - Biden at Virginia Tech - Vice President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a campaign event on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Australia's high court upholds restrictions on tobacco packaging
In a decision announced Wednesday, Australia's high court upheld the plain packaging act, which says that tobacco products must be in plain packaging and bear graphic health warnings as of December 1.
"It's extraordinarily encouraging," said Richard Daynard, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston and president of the Public Health Advocacy Institute. "It means that governments are pretty much free to do what they feel is necessary to protect their population from tobacco marketing, including marketing on packages. In other words, it's a blow for public health."
Several tobacco companies had challenged the act as unconstitutional, saying the government was unfairly taking its intellectual property.
The high court posted the decision on its website, but not the opinion. That will be published at a later date, it said.
FULL STORY
Bill Gates seeks answers in the toilet
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates thinks one of the answers to improving health is in the bathroom.
A year ago, his foundation issued a challenge to universities to create a new toilet, launching a worldwide effort to improve sanitation.
This week the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced who won the challenge.
California Institute of Technology was the big winner and was awarded $100,000 for its idea of a solar-powered toilet that generates hydrogen and electricity. The United Kingdom's Loughborough University won second place and was awarded $60,000 for a toilet that produces biological charcoal, minerals, and clean water. The University of Toronto in Canada garnered third place and $40,000 for a toilet that sanitizes feces and urine and recovers resources and clean water.
The new commodes are being showcased at a "Reinvent the Toilet Fair" Tuesday and Wednesday in Seattle.
FULL STORYHeartbreaking losses as Western wildfires rage
Whipped by high winds, wildfires in central Washington state have scorched some 28,000 acres and destroyed at least 60 homes, fire officialssaid late Tuesday.
One of those structures was the home of Elaine Burt.
After she left her home near Ellensburg she received terrible news from a neighbor; she'd lost more than a home, all her dogs had died, too,CNN affiliate KING-TV reported.
"They're all dead, and my house is gone," she said as her neighbor phoned her with an update. "Those poor little doggies."
Burt's chihuahuas were on the porch when the flames of the fast-moving fire came.
More than 800 firefighters are expected to be on the scene by Wednesday, KING reported. The blaze is 10% contained, according to incident commander Rex Reed.
FULL STORY
CNN Prime Time: Paul Ryan's first interview; police show how man shot himself
VP Pick Paul Ryan gives first TV interview
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan gives his first one-on-one interview since becoming the nominee.
Police reenact mysterious death
Police say Chavis Carter shot himself in the head when he was handcuffed in the back of a police car. They demonstrate how it may have happened.
Hope Solo: I have a bad rep
Olympian and U.S. soccer champ Hope Solo talks to Piers Morgan about her reputation in the media.
On Twitter
Comments: How will change to immigration policy affect 'slices of the American pie'?
Editor's note:Â We're listening to you. Every day, we spot thought-provoking comments from readers. What follows is a look at some of the most talked-about stories of the day.
People are talking about immigration today, but they're also interested in letters and numbers and science.
1. Program providing protection for young immigrants launched
An executive order by President Barack Obama allows those who entered the country illegally as children to remain and work without fear of deportation for at least two years. The policy has proven controversial, and readers are debating the implications on the United States as well as the people who are applying.
One of the biggest concerns is whether the program in effect condones illegal immigration.
Some readers said the best way to fight illegal immigration is to make it easier for people to become legal.
Do they owe society money?
Think about our history, many readers said.
But is the United States being stretched too thin?
Or are people just too selfish?
Many readers said they want there to be consequences for entering the country illegally. FULL POST
Filed under: Barack Obama • Comments • Immigration • Politics • U.S.