In a summer largely without sports, one team is making a triumphant return to entertain you: The U.S. Army esports team.
The team took a brief hiatus from streaming their Call of Duty games on Twitch in July, after a First Amendment controversy when commenters asking about war crimes were banned.
Now, they are reinstating access to the accounts that were previously banned for what the army calls "harassing and degrading behavior." The team is establishing clarified guidelines and will resume streaming soon, the Army told Vice.
The Army, Navy, and Air Force have esports teams, often used as recruitment measures, but the Marines do not have a team. This is "in part to the belief that the brand and issues associated with combat are too serious to be 'gamified' in a responsible manner," Marine Corps Recruiting Command wrote, reports Vice.
The sentiment was echoed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) last week as she defended a proposed amendment to stop the military from using games as a recruiting method, which the House ultimately blocked. "War is not a game," Ocasio-Cortez said. "We can not conflate war and military service with this kind of gamified format."
A specific date has not been set for the U.S. Army esports team's return to Twitch, but they said it will be in the "near future." Taylor Watson
Schitt's Creek went out on top, but co-creator and star Dan Levy is hopeful that this isn't the last people will see of the Rose family.
During Sunday's Emmys, the show, which recently wrapped after six seasons, won every comedy award, with all four actors — Levy, his father Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, and Annie Murphy — taking home statues for their performances and Schitt's Creek named Outstanding Comedy Series.
The show is the first comedy in history to win all four comedy actor Emmys, and Levy said during a virtual Q&A session that this was an "absolutely unbelievable way to end our series. I don't think you could ever ask for a better conclusion than tonight. We are absolutely thrilled."
When asked if there might ever be a Schitt's Creek movie, Levy said that the Emmy sweep "was the best way we could have ever ended the show," and if there is an "idea that pops into my head, it has to be really freaking good because this is a nice way to say goodbye. Fingers crossed we get a nice idea popping into our head soon. ... I would love to work with these people again." Catherine Garcia
The Roy family just dominated at the Emmys.
HBO's Succession on Sunday won the top prize of Outstanding Drama Series at the 2020 Emmys for its second season. This victory had been widely expected among pundits, although some thought Netflix's Ozark could pull off an upset. Other shows in contention included Better Call Saul, The Crown, and The Mandalorian.
During an acceptance speech delivered remotely, the show's creator, Jesse Armstrong, offered a series of "un-thank yous," including to President Trump, with Armstrong blasting his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is yet another victory for HBO in the Emmys' drama series category. In recent years, Game of Thrones had won the prize for four consecutive seasons, interrupted only by one win for The Handmaid's Tale during a year when Thrones hadn't aired new episodes. HBO also won Outstanding Drama Series for The Sopranos twice. The network on Sunday additionally took home the Outstanding Limited Series Emmy for Watchmen after having won that prize numerous times, including in 2019 with Chernobyl.
Could this just be the start of years worth of Succession wins, Game of Thrones style? We’ll find out, but after Sunday's victory, it seems Emmy voters have a message for the show’s cast and crew: we here for you. Brendan Morrow
Zendaya just made history at the Emmys.
The 24-year-old Euphoria star picked up the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award in a shock upset on Sunday night. In doing so, she becomes the youngest person to ever win in this category, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Zendaya's win came as the biggest surprise of the Emmys so far, as pundits had thought that the frontrunners were The Morning Show's Jennifer Aniston and Ozark's Laura Linney. In fact, Zendaya's nomination itself in the category was a bit of a surprise earlier this year.
The record for the youngest lead drama actress Emmy winner ever was just set last year, the Times notes, when Killing Eve's Jodie Comer won at 26 years old. This was Zendaya's first Emmy nomination. She rose to fame starring on the Disney Channel's Shake It Up. Brendan Morrow
Jeremy Strong is Emmy voters' number one boy.
Strong on Sunday won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Kendall Roy on HBO's Succession. Critics widely saw his toughest competition in the category as being his own co-star, Brian Cox, who plays his character's father on the series.
"Brian Cox, I share this with you," Strong said during his acceptance speech, which he delivered remotely amid the virtual show. "Thank you so much."
This was Strong’s first Emmy nomination and his first win, which comes after a season of Succession in which he earned particular praise for his performance. At last year's Emmys, despite Succession being up for the top drama series prize, Strong was surprisingly snubbed for a nomination. This year, he had some tough competition in the lead drama actor category from not only Cox but also Ozark's Jason Bateman and Pose's Billy Porter, the latter of whom won last year. As Succession heads into season three, Logan Roy can only hope his upcoming conflict with Kendall ends differently than it did tonight. Brendan Morrow
A woman suspected of sending a letter last week to the White House containing the poison ricin was arrested on Sunday at the New York-Canada border, law enforcement officials told CNN and The Associated Press.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers took the woman into custody at the Peace Bridge border crossing near Buffalo. One official told CNN the woman was carrying a gun when she was arrested. She is expected to face federal charges.
The letter, which appeared to have originated in Canada, was intercepted at an offsite facility that screens mail sent to the White House, AP reports. During a preliminary investigation, the envelope tested positive for ricin. Catherine Garcia
Who watches the Watchmen? Emmy voters, clearly.
HBO's Watchmen on Sunday took home the award for Outstanding Limited Series at the Emmys, beating out shows including Mrs. America and Little Fires Everywhere. The superhero series, which is adapted from the graphic novel, was one of the most critically acclaimed shows of 2019, and it received the most nominations of any series at this year's Emmys with 26.
In an acceptance speech for Outstanding Limited Series, Watchmen creator Damon Lindelof dedicated the award to the victims of the Tulsa race massacre, which was depicted in the series. Watchmen star Regina King had earlier in the night won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, while Yahya Abdul-Mateen II took the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Emmy. The show also won a writing prize.
Watchmen examines systemic racism in the United States and was widely seen as having taken on even greater relevance in light of the nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd. King touched upon that idea as she accepted her Emmy, saying, "Gotta vote. I would be remiss not to mention that being a part of a show as prescient as Watchmen." Brendan Morrow
The Bobcat fire in Los Angeles County has grown to nearly 100,000 acres, and continues to threaten the historical Mt. Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains.
This is one of the largest fires ever recorded in the county; the biggest blaze, 2009's Station fire, burned 160,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest. The Bobcat fire is only 15 percent contained, and is moving through communities in the Antelope Valley, the Los Angeles Times reports. There are more than 1,600 firefighters on the scene, with some coming from as far away as New York.
"We're still in the thick of a good firefight," Andrew Mitchell, public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service, said on Sunday. There were some flare-ups around Mt. Wilson Observatory overnight, but crews were able to stamp them out. Forecasters expect lower temperatures and calmer winds over the next few nights, and Mitchell said he thinks "the next couple days we'll start to really get a handle on this fire because the conditions will be right and we'll be able to really start backing it with all our assets."
There are 27 major wildfires now burning in California, the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on Sunday. Since mid-August, blazes in the state have killed 26 people and destroyed more than 6,100 structures. Catherine Garcia