Wednesday, 19 July 2023

A sailor's 'amazing' dog helps him survive 3 months lost at sea.

July 19, 2023 | VIEW IN BROWSER

This is TODAY

A 23-year-old Army private appears to be the first U.S. soldier to defect to North Korea in 50 years, and a grateful sailor who was rescued with his dog after being lost in the Pacific for two months says he plans to sail again. Plus, what to do if you win the $1 billion Powerball jackpot (besides pop a bottle of champagne).

The Latest

More details emerge about the U.S. soldier who bolted across the border to North Korea.

North Korea was silent this morning about the status of a 23-year-old American Army private who "bolted" across the inter-Korean border into the isolated Communist country yesterday. Pvt. 2nd Class Travis King is in North Korean custody after crossing the heavily fortified border "willfully and without authorization," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters yesterday. King had recently been released from a South Korean prison and was sent to the airport in Seoul when he veered from his gate and joined a commercial tour group to the Demilitarized Zone, a senior administration official told NBC News. He then took off running toward the North Korean side, one witness told The Associated Press. King appears to be the first U.S. soldier to defect to North Korea in more than 50 years. Here's the latest.

A man who was rescued after being lost at sea with his dog for 3 months tells his story of survival.

Australian sailor Tim Shaddock, 54, expressed his gratitude yesterday to the fishermen who found him after he had been lost at sea for nearly three months in the Pacific Ocean with his dog. Shaddock and his dog reportedly survived on raw fish and rainwater after a storm struck his boat and wiped out its electronics. They floated in the Pacific for several weeks before being spotted by a crew of fishermen. "I'm just so grateful," he said. "I'm alive." Shaddock said he couldn't imagine enduring all he did without the support of his faithful dog, Bella. "She's amazing, mate," he said. Read more here.

😷 It took 7 doctors to diagnose me with a common disease — and it almost killed me.

Meghan Bea was a 21-year-old college student when she began an odyssey of doctor's appointments to treat her crushing fatigue, brain fog and hair loss. One doctor told her she was "homesick and probably depressed" and recommended she see a psychiatrist. Others diagnosed her with depression, bipolar disorder and Lyme disease. It turned out she has lupus, a well-known autoimmune disease that affects 1.5 million Americans. In an essay for TODAY.com, Bea shared how lupus patients take an average of six years to be diagnosed and often experience a feeling of "medical gaslighting" when their symptoms aren't taken seriously. "I hope that speaking out about the darkest point in my life will shine a light for others navigating the same treacherous path," she wrote. Read the essay.

🤑 Ready to live the dream? Here's what to do if you win the $1 billion Powerball lottery.

The latest Powerball jackpot is now $1 billion, which is more than enough to turn your home into the pink "Barbie" house of your dreams or re-create this truck with the flame-shooting guitarist from "Mad Max: Fury Road" to drive around town (or is that just us?). But there's also some practical stuff you want to handle in case you're the lucky instant billionaire. We have 9 tips from financial experts about what to do if you win the lottery, including waiting to cash that humongous check, leaving room for taxes, and hiring a therapist. The next Powerball drawing is tonight.

Start TODAY

Achieve your life and health goals with easy tips.

One of the simplest tests of your body's flexibility can be one you learned as a kid: Reach down and touch your toes. If it feels like an impossible feat for you right now, there are ways to get that flexibility back. TODAY fitness contributor Stephanie Mansour has 4 exercises that will help you be able to do a seated toe touch. The movements will also help loosen up your hamstrings and calves while reducing any back pain. See them all here.

What's for dinner?

Allow us to do the meal-planning for you.

Have yourself an "indoor barbecue" with this oven-cooked barbecue pork shoulder from pitmaster Ryan Mitchell. The spices and crushed red pepper on the pork bake to a crackling finish, and a splash of apple cider vinegar finishes everything off. Combine it with Ryan's easy-to-prepare smoked mac and cheese for the perfect side. Get the recipes.

Daily Delight

A little pick-me-up before you go.

It took 63 years after they first met in high school, but the blossoming love between Tom McMeekin and Nancy Gambell was worth the wait. After reconnecting around their 60th high school reunion, the pair of 78-year-olds began talking every day for hours this summer. It led to a sweet moment decades in the making when Tom dropped down on two knees and proposed at the airport when Nancy came to visit him in Florida. "I did want something like this to happen," she said on TODAY. "And I think part of why it happened was because I asked for it to happen. I asked the universe." The two, who have a combined seven previous marriages between them, are happy to have found love again. "For four years, I was searching for something, and happiness is to love and be loved, and that's what I hoped for," he said. See the video of Tom's proposal here.