1:29 a.m. EDT National News Summary

August’s supermoon is the first of four lunar spectacles

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Monday’s supermoon is the first of four this year. That’s when a full moon inches a little closer than usual to Earth, making it appear slightly bigger and brighter in the night sky. September’s supermoon will coincide with a partial lunar eclipse. October’s will be the year’s closest approach, and November’s will round out the year. A supermoon occurs when a full lunar phase syncs up with an especially close swing around Earth. This usually happens only three or four times a year, and the supermoons appear consecutively.

Two 18-year-olds charged with murder of former ‘General Hospital’ actor Johnny Wactor

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two 18-year-old men have been charged with the murder of former “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor. Los Angeles County District Attorney announced the charges at a news conference Monday. Authorities say Wactor interrupted three thieves stealing the catalytic converter from his car when he was shot and killed on May 25. Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada were charged with murder, grand theft, and attempted robbery. They were being arraigned on Monday afternoon, and it’s not clear whether they have lawyers. Another 18-year-old was charged with grand theft and attempted robbery, and a fourth was charged with being an accessory after the fact.

Betty Jean Hall, advocate who paved the way for women to enter coal mining workforce, dies at 78

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Betty Jean Hall, an Appalachian attorney and federal administrative judge who paved the way for women to enter the coal mining workforce, has died. She was 78. He daughter Tiffany Olsen says Hall died Friday in Cary, N.C., where she had lived since her retirement in 2019. The Kentucky native obtained her bachelor’s degree from Berea in 1968 before studying law at Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C. She also founded the Tennessee-based advocacy group the Coal Employment Project in 1977. The Coal Employment Project pressured mining companies across the U.S. to hire women by filing anti-discrimination lawsuits.

Ruth Johnson Colvin, who founded Literacy Volunteers of America, has died at 107

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — The founder of Literacy Volunteers of America has died. The nonprofit ProLiteracy says Ruth Johnson Colvin was 107 years old and died on Sunday in Syracuse, New York. ProLiteracy was created when Literacy Volunteers merged with Laubach Literacy. Colvin launched Literacy Volunteers of America in 1962 to speak out against illiteracy and teach people to read. She was inspired by 1960 census data that showed 11,000 illiterate people were living in Syracuse, where she lived. Colvin was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006. She is also in the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls.

Biden takes inaugural flight in long-delayed new ‘Marine One’ helicopter

CHICAGO (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday took his first flight aboard the modern VH-92A helicopter that serves as Marine One after years of delays to the program to replace the aging aircraft that carry the president and vice president. Biden boarded the Sikorsky-made helicopter after arriving on Air Force One in Chicago where he is speak Monday evening at the Democratic National Convention. The maiden presidential voyage carried him from O’Hare International Airport to the parking lot of Chicago’s Soldier Field, often used as a landing zone for presidential travel. It marked a crucial milestone in a two-decade-long process to replace the Vietnam-era helicopters that have been in use carrying presidents, in some cases, since the 1970s.

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died. He was 88. NBC’s ‘Today’ show, citing family members, said that Donahue died Sunday. Dubbed “the king of daytime talk,” Donahue was the first to incorporate audience participation in a talk show. The decision set “The Phil Donahue Show” apart from other 1960s interview shows and influenced a format that made household names of Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, and many others. Later renamed “Donahue,” it had a 26-year national run and won 20 Emmys. Donahue lived in New York with his wife, actress Marlo Thomas.

Lainey Wilson’s career felt like a ‘Whirlwind.’ On her new album, she makes sense of life and love

NEW YORK (AP) — Lainey Wilson will release her fifth studio album, “Whirlwind,” on Friday. She says the title perfectly encapsulates the last few years. A little over a decade ago, Wilson lived in a camper trailer and hit open mic nights to make it in Nashville. Now she’s a Grammy winner, the first woman to win entertainer of the year at the CMAs since Taylor Swift in 2011, she’s acted in the hit television show “Yellowstone,” and in June, she was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. On “Whirlwind,” Wilson is able to translate the madness of her life and career to that of everyone else’s, like on “Good Horses” with Miranda Lambert and “Hang Tight Honey.”

Caleb Downs leads 4 Ohio State players selected to Associated Press preseason All-America first team

Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is one of the second-ranked Buckeyes’ high-profile transfers. He and three of his new teammates have been selected to The Associated Press preseason All-America team. Downs was joined by guard Donovan Jackson, receiver Emeka Egbuka, and cornerback Denzel Burke to give Ohio State the most first-team selections. No. 1 Georgia and No. 9 Michigan each had three players picked for the first team, including Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck.

Yankees and Tigers are kids for a day, mingling among Little Leaguers

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — The Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees were like kids again as they mingled with Little Leaguers ahead of the Major League Baseball Little League Classic on Sunday night. Aaron Judge heard steady cries of “Judge!” from kids who flocked to the Yankees slugger from the moment he stepped off the team plane to his appearance at the Little League World Series. Jazz Chisholm Jr. tossed souvenirs to pleading kids and captured the commotion on an old-school handheld video camera. Wearing his Yankees uniform top, Giancarlo Stanton showed Little Leaguers a proper grip of a baseball on a bus ride. It was hard to tell who had more fun.

‘Alien: Romulus’ bites off $41.5 million to top box office charts

“Alien: Romulus,” the latest installment in the 45-year-old franchise, opened in first place at the North American box office. The 20th Century Studios release earned an estimated $41.5 million in its first weekend, where it was playing in 3,885 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Including international showings in 49 markets, “Alien: Romulus” boasted a $108.2 million global debut. The Walt Disney Co., which owns 20th Century Studios, claimed the top two spots on the charts, with Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” now in its fourth weekend, taking second place with $29 million. “It Ends With Us” came in third place with $24 million.