Good morning. Here are some of the stories we’re following today:
1. Army chopper crashes in Florida, 11 missing
Seven Marines and four soldiers were missing early Wednesday following an Army helicopter crash in Florida, officials said. Aircraft debris washed up on shore after one of two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters participating in a routine nighttime training mission crashed, Eglin Air Force Base spokesman Andy Bourland told NBC News. Bourland said a search and rescue operation was underway and that it was too soon to say what caused the crash, but there were "weather issues" overnight. Read more in NEWS.
2. Students apologize after frat fallout in Oklahoma
Two University of Oklahoma students were identified Tuesday as taking part in a racist chant that led their fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, to get shut down at the school. Parker Rice released a statement apologizing for his role in the singing, while the family of another student, Levi Pettit, released a statement calling his behavior "disgusting." Two students have been expelled from the school, although officials did not name them. Rice said it was a "devastating lesson" and wants to become a man who "has the heart and the courage to reject racism." Read more in NEWS.
3. Defiant Hillary Clinton brushes off email controversy
Hillary Clinton acknowledged Tuesday that it "would have been better" to use a government email address along with the personal one she used while secretary of state at her first press conference since the controversy erupted earlier this month. But the likely 2016 presidential front-runner insisted she did not violate any federal regulation and never risked exposing sensitive information by using her personal email server. Clinton said she used a private account so that she could carry just one device rather than both a personal and government-issued phone. Read more in POLITICS.
4. New ISIS video shows young child killing hostage
ISIS on Tuesday claimed to execute an Israeli-Arab hostage whom the terror group had previously accused of being a spy. The video featuring captive Muhammed Musallam, however, also features the startling inclusion of a boy wearing an ISIS uniform — who appears to just be in his early teenage years. Musallam is shot point blank in the head, apparently by the boy, who can be seen pointing the gun at the hostage before a close-up of the execution. Read more in NEWS.
5. Ferguson city manager latest to resign after DOJ report
Ferguson's City Council voted unanimously for a "mutual separation agreement" with City Manager John Shaw, who served the city for eight years. His departure comes after a scathing report by the Justice Department that showed a culture of racism in the police department and city offices. "After much thought and prayer, I feel it is in the community's best interest that I step aside at this time," Shaw said in a statement. He added that he had been working to implement "positive change" in the city. Read more in NEWS.
6. Jury finds Pharrell, Robin Thicke ripped off Marvin Gaye
A Los Angeles jury has found the 2013 hit, "Blurred Lines," improperly borrowed its funky sound from the soulful Marvin Gaye song from 1977, "Got to Give it Up." Now, because of that, Gaye's family has been awarded $7.3 million. In addition, the Gayes' attorney, told reporters Tuesday that he had immediately filed for an injunction to stop the sale of "Blurred Lines," which features Pharrell, Thicke and T.I. Sobbing with emotion, Gaye's daughter, Nona Gaye, said she and her family brought the case because her father, who died in 1984, "couldn't be here." Read more in POP CULTURE.
And now this ...
These insects sure know how to take a leap of faith. Researchers have captured incredible video showing praying mantises leaping.