promoearn: An Area 51 emergency?

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

An Area 51 emergency?

Wednesday, August 21

Nevada's Extraterrestrial Highway draws visitors from around the world (and maybe from other ones too!) to check out Area 51.

An invasion (of humans) may be coming to Area 51, and Spider-Man's leaving Marvel.

Marvel's Spider-Man fans are freaking out, and actual spiders are, in a way, also freaking out. It's Ashley. Here's the news you need to know Wednesday.

But first, arachnids 🕷: Hurricanes are apparently making spiders more aggressive. So that's terrifying.

There's (maybe) an invasion (of humans) coming to Area 51

Remember the "Storm Area 51" Facebook event, when more than 2 million people RSVP'd to "see them aliens" on Sept. 20? A rural Nevada county is readying for what's to come: Commissioners in Nevada's Lincoln County voted to pre-sign an emergency declaration before the mysterious "event" that could draw thousands to the desert. But really, nobody has any idea how many attendees – if any – actually plan to come. "We have no pickin' idea what we're going to face – if anything," said District D Commissioner Kevin Phillips. That's exactly what I'd be saying every day if I lived anywhere near Area 51.

He doesn't look happy, but this little green man welcomes visitors to the Little A'Le'Inn on Nevada's Extraterrestrial Highway.

Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY

Another 'nasty' woman – this time in Greenland

President Donald Trump was really, actually, truly thinking about buying Greenland. The Danish prime minister said thanks but no thanks, and it's been a bit tense ever since. Trump called Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen "nasty" Wednesday after she rebuked discussions about a sale of Greenland to the U.S. as "absurd." "All she had to do was say no," Trump said, adding that Frederiksen was "not very nice" in her refusal. Side note: Curious about how much the U.S. would have had to pay for Greenland, the world's largest island? One estimate says half a trillion dollars.

•	Trump promoted a claim that "he's the King of Israel," citing a right-wing conspiracy theorist in a tweet Wednesday.

Trump admin moves to detain migrant kids indefinitely

The Trump administration said Wednesday it was taking steps to allow it to indefinitely detain undocumented children with their families while their immigration cases are pending. The move would end a 20-day limit on detaining children and families – keeping kids and parents together, albeit in custody, rather than separating them. President Donald Trump said fewer migrants will try to enter the country illegally once they realize that security is tightening on the southern border. "Very much I have the children on my mind. It bothers me very greatly," Trump said, calling on Congress to close loopholes in asylum law. Homeland Security officials expect the new rule to be challenged in federal court.

What everyone's talking about

•	The Amazon is burning, and smoke from the fires can be seen from space.
•	Trump's ex-aide Sean Spicer will join "Dancing With the Stars." My money is on Karamo Brown from "Queer Eye."
•	Hillary Clinton, it seems, is a big-time fan of singer Lizzo.
•	A touching moment at this wedding came from a man the bride and groom had never met before.
•	A woman was bitten twice by a shark while swimming in Hawaii, police say.

Amazing: Spider-Man, caught in a web, will exit Marvel films

People on the internet are losing their minds over the Marvel Cinematic Universe parting ways with Spider-Man: Tuesday, negotiations broke down between Disney and Sony Pictures for future Spider-Man films, sending fans into a panic. As a Hollywood divorce looked imminent, Twitter had a meltdown imagining the fate of its beloved teenage superhero. The Twitter hashtag #SaveSpiderMan, however steeped in irrational emotion, went viral. Marvel actors were right behind the movement: "Avengers" actor Jeremy Renner, who plays Hawkeye, and "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds took to social media to voice their support for keeping Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, in the franchise.

Peter Parker (Tom Holland) struggles to find a balance between his personal and superhero lives in "Spider-Man: Far From Home."

JAY MAIDMENT

Real quick

•	Environmental groups sued the Trump administration over changes to the Endangered Species Act.
•	Police are on the hunt for a gunman after four students were shot near Clark Atlanta University.
•	An ex-day care provider convicted of hanging a toddler has been sentenced to probation.
•	A neo-Nazi who wanted all Latinos "exterminated" was arrested for death threats, the FBI says.
•	Liam Hemsworth filed for divorce from Miley Cyrus, reports say.

Just how the internet fuels hate

For years, social media fueled the rise of white supremacy by giving young white males places to freely spew hate. Since the El Paso shooting Aug. 3, a lot of focus has been on 8chan, the renegade message board where suspects in three recent mass shootings uploaded white supremacist screeds, but racists remain active all across the web – including on major social media sites. Can tech companies do more to curb violent extremism?

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this snappy news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for "The Short List" newsletter here.

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