Here’s a look at some of the day’s top stories from WTOP:
Tropical Storm Bertha forms in the Atlantic
Tropical Storm Bertha has formed. It’s the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Bertha is expected to pass near or north of Barbados Friday afternoon.
Va. Congressman Cantor resigns his seat
Eric Cantor was House majority leader in June; now he’s out of Congress. The representative from Virginia’s 7th District, who lost the GOP primary to unknown Dave Brat in a huge upset, had already stepped down as leader on Thursday, and resigned from the House early Friday.
Gaza officials say at least four Palestinians have been killed by Israeli tank fire nearly two hours after Israel and Hamas began observing a three-day cease- fire.
The Health Ministry and Gaza police say 15 other Palestinians were wounded in the shelling east of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. An Israeli Army spokesman in Jerusalem says the military is looking into the incident.
Solid US job gains expected for 6th straight month
Many analysts expect today’s monthly jobs report to show a sixth-straight month of gains about 200,000. Experts surveyed by FactSet believe employers added 225,000 jobs in July, which would keep the unemployment rate at 6.1 percent.
Hearing set on stabbing suspect’s mental health
The mental health of one of two 12-year-old girls accused of stabbing a classmate to please a fictional character is up for discussion in a Wisconsin court.
Two doctors have filed reports saying they don’t believe the girl is competent to stand trial. But prosecutors have asked for a hearing on the issue Friday. Court documents say the 12-year-olds plotted for months to kill their former friend to win favor with Slender Man, a character in horror stories they had read online
Customer-service tweeting: How to make it work for you
It’s become a modern-day reflex: you get bad customer service, you tweet about it. But how can you go beyond venting and best use your Tweets to get results? An expert from Yahoo Tech had tips on our Tech page.
Meet Marvel’s misfits: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’
WTOP’s film critic, Jason Fraley, takes a look at “Guardians of the Galaxy” and finds plenty to like – and plenty to improve upon. It’s snarky and funny, but sometimes too much. Read about it on our Entertainment page.
Politics is the local industry in Washington, but it even pops up in eating and drinking places. From The Partisan to Lincoln and 1789, some of D.C.’s best restaurants pay homage to the history and inner workings of Washington. Living editor Rachel Nania has compiled photos of D.C.’s politically inspired eateries.
Tweeting trades: How Twitter forever changed the MLB trade deadline
MLB’s trading deadline, which this year fell on Thursday, used to be a day when front-office men burned up the phone lines while fans nervously wondered what was going on. Now, Twitter and other social media have turned deadline day into an eight-hour flurry of information – and misinformation – that fans and reporters alike read like tea leaves. WTOP’s Sports editor, Noah Frank, takes a look at the madness.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
