 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Happy Friday, Daily Briefing readers! Many people across the country are getting a day off for the newest federal holiday, Juneteenth. If you're one of them, enjoy sleeping in! And, an ominous warning for those on the Gulf Coast – you may have to deal with more dangerous storms. |
| Steve and Jane are here with Friday's news. |
| 🌎 New this morning: Vice President Kamala Harris has been tapped to lead the Biden administration's efforts to protect voting rights, including helping Democrats push through a sweeping elections reform bill in the Senate. |
| ⚖ The Supreme Court sided with a Catholic foster care agency in a religious freedom case that handed down the most high profile defeat to LGBTQ rights advocates since 2018. The court also turned back another challenge to the Affordable Care Act, allowing the law to stand despite Republicans' objections. |
| 🥵 "It's a future problem": What's behind the 'dangerous' heat wave with triple-digit temperatures in the Western United States? |
| 🔵 Aiden Leos case: A California man in the suspected road rage killing of a 6-year-old boy admitted to firing a gun at a freeway after he got angry, prosecutors said. |
| 🌪 Tornado Alley is shifting: Twisters are hitting more frequently – and dealing more deaths – in the South. |
| 🐜 "Too early": A dead murder hornet north of Seattle is the first found in the U.S. in 2021. |
 | | Information about the Asian giant hornet | | USA TODAY graphic | |
| 🌎 Rattled Hoosiers: Indiana's strongest earthquake in more than a decade sent ripples into Illinois and Michigan. |
| 📰 Did you follow the news this week? Test your knowledge with our quiz! |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear about the latest COVID-19 vaccination efforts. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| What else is happening today: |
Federal employees take the day to celebrate Juneteenth, the country's newest holiday |
| Most federal employees are off work this Friday in honor of Juneteenth , which commemorates the day in 1865 that the final enslaved people in the Confederate states learned about the end of slavery. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law Thursday, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris, the nation's first Black vice president, who said: "Today is a day of celebration." Biden said: "This will go down for me as one of the greatest honors I will have as president." Long observed among Black Americans, Juneteenth has gained higher prominence in recent years after racial justice movements increased interest in the holiday and more states and cities have passed legislation commemorating emancipation. |
 | | President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act Thursday. | | USA TODAY | |
What else people are reading: |
| 🔵 "I remember it very well": Dr. Anthony Fauci describes a secret 2020 call that appears to have played a key role in shaping the views of scientists who contributed to shutting down talk of whether a lab leak caused COVID-19. |
| 🔴 "My body wasn't doing what I knew it was capable of": Heartbroken after finishing ninth at the U.S. swimming trials, Olympic champion Simone Manuel reveals why she struggled. |
| 🔵 Longtime actor and director dies: Frank Bonner, one of the stars of "WKRP in Cincinnati" died this week. He was 79. |
| 🔴 "Can't have fun nowadays": Charles Barkley talks about his future at TNT's "Inside the NBA" and also blasts cancel culture. |
| 🔵 Are they together or not? Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are among those potentially feeling the pressure to make things "Instagram official." |
Gulf Coast bracing for tropical storms, heavy rain |
| An ominous weather system slowly rolling toward the Gulf of Mexico was threatening to strengthen into Tropical Storm Claudette before slamming onto shore across four states. The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for southeast Louisiana to the Alabama-Florida border. Coastal Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida panhandle could face heavy rains and flooding Friday and into the weekend . AccuWeather meteorologists pinpointed late Friday to Saturday as the most likely time frame, and the Louisiana coastline is the most likely place for landfall, though it may occur anywhere from near the Texas-Louisiana border to the western part of the Florida Panhandle. |
US Olympic officials reverse course, boot banned runner Shelby Houlihan |
| Hours after USA Track and Field indicated runner Shelby Houlihan would be allowed to take part in the U.S. Olympic trials, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said that she won't be eligible to run after all. |
 | | Shelby Houlihan is the American record holder at 1,500 and 5,000 meters. | | Charlie Neibergall, AP | |
| Nancy Armour noted "USATF was ready to trash any credibility this country has when it comes to anti-doping" by allowing Houlihan, an American record holder, to compete despite her testing positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone. "Fortunately, someone who realized the greater damage this hypocrisy would create stepped in," Armour said. |
Ohio governor to end COVID-19 emergency declaration |
| Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the end of the state's COVID-19 emergency declaration will come Friday. "We've come to the conclusion it really does not impact what we need to do in this pandemic based on this point" in time, DeWine said. The governor had declared the emergency on March 14, 2020, which allowed the state to suspend competitive bidding, draw down assistance and make emergency rules. DeWine said state requirements on visits to nursing homes, such as limiting the number of visitors, will also be lifted Friday. Most of the state's health orders, including the state mask mandate, ended June 2. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Salma Hayek on being cast as a superhero |
| Mexican actress Salma Hayek has transitioned from a formidable Oscar-nominated actress to butt-kicking, world-saving action star. Hayek stars as Samuel L. Jackson's lethal spouse in "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard" (in theaters now). Ryan Reynolds also stars. |
 | | Actress Salma Hayek at the 78th Golden Globe Awards | | NBCU photo via Getty Images; USA TODAY graphic | |
| Later this year, Hayek, 54, will star in Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao's "Eternals" as Ajak, "the wise and spiritual leader," according to Marvel's website. She explained some of the difficulties of the role, but said "it was worth it." |
Who to look out for during the Olympics track and field trials |
| The U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials are taking over Eugene, Oregon, starting Friday. The meet will feature former gold medalists, NCAA champions and young professionals across a packed eight-day schedule. One of the most anticipated races will be the women's 400-meter hurdles, which will see world record holder Dalilah Muhammed face off against Sydney McLaughlin, who holds the second-fastest time ever in the event. The men's short sprints will also be competitive. Noah Lyles, a two-time gold medalist at the 2019 World Championships, is a favorite to qualify in both the 100 and 200-meter dash. |
Disney+ releases its newest Pixar flick, Luca |
| The newest animated feature from Pixar, "Luca," premiered on Disney+ Friday morning . Two young sea monsters visit a town on the Italian Riviera for gelato, pasta and a heartwarming story of friendship and acceptance. The two leads, voiced by Jacob Tremblay ("Good Boys," "Room") and Jack Dylan Grazer ("Shazam!"), can appear as human boys out of the water. While in town, they quickly bond with a quirky girl, voiced by Emma Berman, take on the local bully, train for a triathlon and also tackle their own fears and insecurities in a very Pixar way. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published Thursday |
| 🌎 Black linguistic appropriation: Much of our slang comes from the Black community. Not acknowledging that perpetuates racism. |
| ⚖ High profile case ends, for now: A former American Airlines pilot has been convicted in a gruesome 2015 triple murder in Kentucky. |
| ⚖ Opinion piece from Jonathan Turley: For a hopelessly divided ideological court, the U.S. Supreme Court seems to be saying a lot in one voice about the law and its own institution. |
📸 Photo of the day: A US champion dives into grueling mile race 📸 |
 | | Katie Ledecky, wearing the American flag suit, swims in the Women's 1500m Freestyle Finals in the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. | | Rob Schumacher, USA TODAY Sports | |
| As Christine Brennan explains, for the first time ever, women are being allowed to swim the mile – the grueling 1,500 meters – at the Tokyo Olympics. Katie Ledecky was, is and will be the strong favorite for the gold medal in the event next month. |
| Head here to see more exclusive photos from the 2021 US Olympic Swimming trials. |
| |
| |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment