Migrant children separated from their parents are receiving a little loving care in the form of backpacks filled with things like toothbrushes, blankets, pajamas, stuffed animals and books. A nonprofit in the state of Maryland is shipping the items to shelters in Texas, Florida, New York and Virginia — places where migrant children were taken after crossing the US-Mexico border. The goal is to provide the children with a ‘sense of dignity’ in a proper bag ‘filled with comfort.’

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On July 27, 1789, the first US federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established and is later renamed the Department of State. On July 27, 1940, the iconic audacious cartoon character of Bugs Bunny is introduced in an animated short film called A Wild Hare (right) .

StoryCorps: On Sept. 11, 2001, Monique Ferrer received a call she’ll never forget. The New York woman recalls how her ex-husband phoned from the World Trade Center on the morning of the terror attacks to say goodbye and to tell her that he’d always loved her.

Whether or not they win, four candidates are already making history by running for president of Zimbabwe. The contenders include a trade unionist, liberation war icon, author and fashion designer. They are the first female candidates to run for the country’s highest office.

You might not be able to box Parkinson’s away, but Neil Eisner thinks the sport helps him fight the neurodegenerative disorder. The 75-year-old Virginia man says the Rock Steady Boxing program designed especially for people with Parkinson’s,helps him perform everyday tasks like moving around and getting in and out of bed.

Superheroes in becoming more diverse in comic books and American popular culture in general. Cartoons are a medium that can be more experimental than big-budget Hollywood films, but fans and creators say more work needs to be done to fully represent American society. Is Hollywood worried that more diverse heroes and stories won’t sell overseas?

Tom Cruise’s latest Mission Impossible movie features strong women, mind-bending theatrics and powerful visuals. The franchise’s secret weapon is Cruise himself, who performs his own jaw-dropping stunts, including while skydiving from 27,000 feet above ground and falling vertically from a helicopter that the actor himself is piloting. VOA asks the 56-year-old superstar how long he plans to keep at it.