Charles Manson Dead at 83

Charles Manson was "wild-eyed" leader of a cult group "family" who were responsible for the vicious murders of seven people over a two days in Los Angeles that terrorized the nation in 1969. He died of natural causes on Sunday. 

The victims of the rampage, which was dubbed "Helter Skelter," included actress and the pregnant wife of movie director Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate (26), coffee heiress Abigail Folger (25), celebrity hair stylist Jay Sebring (35), and writer Wojciech Frykowski (32).

Manson wanted the attack, which he named after a Beatles song, to begin a race war and left clues pointing to African-Americans as the killers. 

Manson and five members of his “family” were convicted in 1971 of first-degree murder. They were all sentenced to death, but the verdicts were commuted to life in jail when the death penalty was outlawed in California the following year. 

Read more here.

Elephants in Danger

An unfortunate series of events has turned the fate of elephants into a big question mark. Despite elephants being listed as an endangered species under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Trump Administration decided last week that it will allow American hunters to import elephant trophies they kill in Zimbabwe and Zambia back to the United States. 

Supporters of the lifting of the ban claim that the hunting of these big game creatures can actually help conservation and that permit fees, which amount to tens of thousands of dollars in the case of elephants and other large animals, can be funneled to conservation efforts. 

The Fish and Wildlife Service stated,  "Legal, well-regulated sport hunting as part of a sound management program can benefit the conservation of certain species by providing incentives to local communities to conserve the species and by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation”.

Conservation and wildlife groups and elephant lovers everywhere were incensed, taking to Twitter and other social media platforms to rally against the lifting of the ban. It seems like the outrage was heeded by the administration. On Friday evening, the President went on Twitter to announce that he was halting his decision to lift the ban on the big game trophies.

The President tweeted, “Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts. Under study for years. Will update soon with Secretary Zinke. Thank you!”

Time will tell what the fate will be of these beautiful creatures. If you'd like to find out more about what you can do to protect elephants, learn more here.

Did Drugs Kill Little Peep? 

Hip hop and emo artist Little Peep died from an apparent overdose on Xanax. The artist, whose real name was Gustav Åhr, grew up in Long Beach, New York and was open about his use of drugs, specifically pills, and his battle with depression on social media. 

While mourning his death, friends and fans alike called for more attention to be paid regarding drug use and it's glamorization among young people in the music industry. Peep joins the long list of musicians for whom drugs played a role in their untimely passing. 

Learn more here.