Top spellers compete for bee's top prize
For spelling nerds, it's the heavyweight title: the final day of the 89th Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Just 45 out of the more than 280 kids who competed on the first day are moving on to vie for the championship and $40,000 in cash and prizes. The youngest contestant — who is just six years old — is one of those who won't be advancing. With its heart-pounding tension and climactic finish, the bee has become a pop-culture institution. Here are seven things you may not have known about it. TV coverage begins at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2, then shifts to ESPN at 8 p.m. for the championship.
It's do or die for Lightning, Penguins
It all comes down to one game for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning as they face off in Game 7 of the NHL Eastern Conference Final. The Penguins are hoping to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2009, while the Lightning are looking to repeat last year's Final appearance. If the Penguins prevail, they might look back to the first period of Tuesday's Game 6 as the series turning point, when coach Mike Sullivan successfully challenged Tampa Bay's first goal of the game. The move killed the Lightning's momentum, and the Pens won 5-2.
G7 Summit in Japan tackles political, economic issues
Leaders of the world's seven major industrial democracies began a two-day meeting in Ise-Shima, Japan on Thursday. While they have no plans to issue important new initiatives or commitments, leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States will discuss a range of issues including the global economy, human rights, climate and energy, maritime security and issues with North Korea and Russia. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Obama initially planned to hold a one-on-one meeting early Thursday but it was rescheduled for Wednesday night, shortly after Obama arrived from a three-day trip to Vietnam.
SpaceX shoots for third straight rocket landing at sea
SpaceX hopes the weather holds for its scheduled launch Thursday of a Thai communications satellite, and with it another successful landing of its Falcon 9 rocket at sea. Launching from Cape Canaveral, the Falcon 9 aims to deliver the Thaicom PLC's Thaicom 8 satellite to orbit. After separating from the rocket's upper stage, the Falcon 9 booster will dive toward an unpiloted SpaceX drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, hoping to make it three consecutive missions with successful booster landings at sea.
Verizon strike heads for court showdown
Verizon officials say striking workers are illegally intimidating and harassing replacement technicians. Union officials said Verizon has no evidence such incidents occurred or if striking workers were even involved. They said the telecommunications giant is trying to stifle their legal right to protest. On Thursday, a Delaware judge could decide who is right when the two sides square off in the Delaware Court of Chancery. Verizon filed a motion last month asking the court to limit the number of protesters allowed and to require them to stay a certain distance from the entrances to Verizon facilities.
And the essentials:
Weather: Severe storms are forecast to rumble in the central U.S. on Thursday while high heat scorches the East Coast.
Stocks: Asia stocks diverged Thursday as the price of oil hit $50 a barrel.
TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at 500 Questions and the Red Nose Day Special.
Be inspired: This jobless Alaskan man with a cardboard sign received the gift of a lifetime from a total stranger.
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