National

The two words we've waited for from Thailand: 'Everyone safe'

Thai soccer team makes it out safe and sound 

As an anxious world watched, the last four young soccer players and their coach were pulled from a flooded cave in northern Thailand on Tuesday. The coach led the 12 members of the Wild Boars into the cave system on June 23 when their exit became blocked by rising waters. The difficult rescue operation took more than a week to free the entire team. Thai Navy SEALS led the effort but more than 90 rescue workers from around the world helped find and pull the boys from the dark, twisting caves. The focus now turns to the physical and psychological health of the boys. Although early signs appear positive, it may be several days before they can leave the hospital and finally get home.

Brett Kavanaugh, this is your life 

Judge Brett Kavanaugh is going under the microscope now that he's President Donald Trump's nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. With a tight 51-49 Republican majority in the Senate – and with the contentious issue of how the court would address special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation hanging over the confirmation process – Trump's pick can expect a bitter battle. Democrats trying to scuttle the nomination have their work cut out for them. Kavanaugh has a résumé even the court's current justices can't match – 12 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia Circuit, a Yale pedigree, a Supreme Court clerkship under Kennedy and top posts under President George W. Bush. On top of that, a former clerk describes him as an "independent jurist and open-minded person."

Trump wants to give 'Rocket Man' the gift of Elton John

President Donald Trump hurled the nickname "Little Rocket Man" at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last fall as an insult. Now, after the two leaders held their face-to-face summit, Trump wants to present it as a gift. Trump confirmed Tuesday that he wants to give Kim an Elton John CD that includes the hit song "Rocket Man." The president thought up the gift as he sent Secretary of State Mike Pompeo back to North Korea last week. But Pompeo's talks there did not go well, and Kim was not given the CD, which Trump had personally signed.

What is love? Gen Z might have some answers

Like baby boomers, Gen X-ers and millennials before them, Generation Z — kids born between 1997 and 2016 — have plenty of thoughts on love, marriage and family life. We asked kids across the U.S. what they thought about love and the future, and here's what we learned:

  • Four in five say they would date outside their race. Gen Z happens to be the most racially diverse of the generations.
  • Two-thirds support marriage equality.
  • Most teen boys not only want to have families, but also are more open to doing housework and cooking.

All generations still agree on one thing: Dating is super awkward.

Shopping on Prime Day? Read this first

If you plan on hitting Amazon for its major Prime Day sales that begin Monday, you should probably get to know the digital voice assistant Alexa. Four analytics companies researched previous Prime Day sales and determined some of the best bargains were found by ordering through Alexa. And no surprise here, Amazon loves to offer big discounts on its own items, including Kindle tablets and Echo speakers.

The Short List is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.

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