By Jullian Aiden Bravo
@Mr_Reporter_

1. California:
False reports of a shooting prompted the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to shut down operations. The report sent panicked travelers stampeding onto the airport’s tarmac. 27 flights were diverted and 281 arrivals and departures were delayed.

After a search of the buildings, Los Angeles police said no shooting occurred. The airport returned to normal operations Aug. 29. The scare comes two weeks after a similar report at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport when false reports of gunfire prompted the airport to shutdown.

- Source: CNN

2. Election Systems Breached:
The FBI is investigating how hackers managed to breach election systems and jeopardize the personal information of voters in Arizona and Illinois. Law enforcement officials confirmed the June breach that affected about 200,000 records.

Ken Menzel, General Counsel for the Illinois Board of Elections, said he was certain that records remain unaltered. Authorities said hackers cannot affect election results this November because the systems are not connected to the Internet. The breach comes one month after the FBI alerted election officials to strengthen security. The FBI warned of Russian hacker forums having potential to initiate such breaches.

- Source: The Washington Times

3. Funeral Mourners Bombed:
Death rained from above on a group of Syrian funeral goers in the Syrian city of Aleppo Aug. 27. They were mourning the deaths of 15 women killed by recent raids when Syrian government and Russian warplanes attacked. At least 24 were killed and 30 others wounded. The war-torn city of Aleppo is currently divided between pro-government forces in the west and anti-government militias to the east.

- Source: Aljazeera

4. Islamic State Weakens:
In 2014 the seemingly untouchable Islamic State (IS) declared an Islamist caliphate. Their brutality spread like wildfire and knew no boundaries. But now, the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies see the militant group as a dwindling and dispirited force.

Recent battles in which the IS lost ground suggest that the group is no longer willing to defend territory. U.S. officials subtly indicated that the long awaited assault on Mosul, the group’s self-declared capital in Iraq, might begin this fall. However, U.S. intelligence officials say that Islamic State's ability to inspire or organize attacks on foreign land remains unimpaired.

- Source: The Los Angeles Times

5. Actor Gene Wilder Dies at Age 83:
Actor Gene Wilder died at his home in Stamford, Conn. Aug. 29. He was 83. Wilder is known for his character performance as Willy Wonka in the film “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory” as well as the character Dr. Frankenstein in the film “Young Frankenstein”.

Jordan Walker-Pearlman, filmmaker and nephew to the late actor, confirmed his death, saying the cause was from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Wilder was diagnosed with the illness three years ago.

Aside from being an accomplished actor, Wilder was also a screenwriter, novelist and director.

“Gene Wilder was one of the funniest and sweetest energies ever to take a human form. If there's a heaven he has a Golden Ticket. ;^),” actor Jim Carey said in a Tweet in response to Wilder’s passing.

- Source: The New York Times

What You Need to Know 9/2/2016