The Rock Chalkboard

Top-30 prospect Chris Johnson is headed to Kansas
“First off, it is Kansas,” Johnson said about his decision. “They always say choose a school that wants you and their staff has been with me through the ups and downs. Ever since the beginning of my high school season, Coach Case has been talking to me every day.”

Four-star guard Chris Johnson announces commitment to Kansas
After the 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard spent the summer playing basketball, KU was able to get him to Lawrence for an official visit. Johnson and his family made the trip up from Texas to Lawrence last week to see campus. Johnson did not take any additional visits after that, electing to commit to KU.

Kansas coach Lance Leipold expects quarterback Jalon Daniels to start in Week 1 | KUsports.com Mobile
"If you want to type right now, 'Leipold expects Daniels to be the starter,' go ahead and type it," Leipold, who is entering his second season as the Jayhawks' coach, said at a news conference following the first training camp practice. "That's probably the best way that I'll answer it at this time."

4-star combo guard Chris Johnson picks Kansas | KUsports.com Mobile
“He changes speeds, protects the ball at a high level going through the lane and can score the ball in numerous ways inside the arc,” wrote 247 Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein. “Overall, he is confident, physical and plays with an edge that can be either a competitive advantage or disadvantage depending on how it is impacting him.”

Eraser Dust

Pelosi says US will 'not abandon' Taiwan as China plans military drills | CNN Politics
Pelosi’s trip – the first by a sitting US speaker in 25 years – had been foreshadowed for days. As the California Democrat departed the island on Wednesday afternoon for South Korea, there were already signs of the strains her visit to Taipei had placed on Washington’s relationship with Beijing – which warned that her trip would have a “severe impact on the political foundation of China-US relations.”

Trump Gloated Over Chaos Caused by Vague Missouri Endorsement: Report
Per Rolling Stone, the source said that Trump "thought it was a thing of beauty and too goddamn funny" to watch the situation unfold.

Finchem wins Republican Arizona secretary of state nomination : Live Coverage: 2022 Primaries : NPR
Mark Finchem, a state representative and election conspiracy theorist who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has won the GOP nomination to oversee voting as Arizona's secretary of state, according to a race call by The Associated Press.

A Sandy Hook Mother Confronts Alex Jones During Trial - The New York Times
Scarlett Lewis, whose son Jesse, 6, was killed in the elementary school shooting, rebuked the Infowars fabulist over his lies in a face-to-face courtroom confrontation.

Six takeaways from Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Arizona and Washington primaries | CNN Politics
Meanwhile, in Michigan, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump was ousted, while the matchup was set for what will be one of the key gubernatorial races this fall. And in Missouri, the political comeback of a former governor was shut down.

Blake Masters wins Arizona's GOP primary for Senate, will take on Democrat Mark Kelly
With more than three-quarters of the vote in, Masters led the primary race Wednesday morning with 39 percent of the vote. The venture capitalist was projected to defeat businessman Jim Lamon and state Attorney General Mark Brnovich.

Kalispell man dies in ATV crash on Whitefish Stage | Daily Inter Lake
Alcohol and speed are suspected factors in a crash that killed a Kalispell man over the weekend when the ATV he was driving collided with a pickup.

Montana FWP gets community input for amenities at Somers Beach State Park | Bigfork Eagle
During discussion of land-based day-use areas, Landstrom said they are looking at four main options based on survey responses. This includes picnic areas, reservable group use shelters, natural playground and a rustic amphitheater. He said natural playgrounds are somewhat of a new option for FWP. For reference, officials have shared a photo of a child hopping from stump to stump as a visual example of a natural playground.

Webb telescope captures colorful Cartwheel Galaxy, 500 million light-years away | The Times of Israel
PARIS, France — The James Webb Space Telescope has peered through time and huge amounts of dust to capture a new image of the Cartwheel Galaxy, revealing the spinning ring of color in unprecedented clarity, NASA and the European Space Agency said Tuesday.

Without Egg, Sperm or Womb: Synthetic Embryo Models May Enable Growing Organs for Transplantation
An egg meets a sperm – that’s a necessary first step in life’s beginnings. In embryonic development research, it’s also a common first step. However, in a new study published on August 1, 2022, in the journal Cell, researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science have grown synthetic embryo models of mice outside the womb by starting solely with stem cells cultured in a petri dish. That means they are grown without the use of fertilized eggs. This method opens new horizons for studying how stem cells form various organs in the developing embryo. It may also one day make it possible to grow tissues and organs for transplantation using synthetic embryo models.

Kansas votes to protect abortion rights in state constitution | US news | The Guardian
Kansans secured a huge win for abortion rights in the US on Tuesday night when they voted to continue to protect abortion in the state constitution.