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Wednesday, May 31, 2023

They weren't tourists. They were spies.

Chinese spies posed as visitors to access U.S. military bases.

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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Wed May 31 2023

 

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

Welcome signage outside the Army's Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Chinese spies posed as visitors to access U.S. military bases.

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Attempts by suspected spies posing as tourists to enter U.S. military bases seem to be probes to learn about U.S. military capabilities in Alaska. Also in the news: The House is set to vote on a debt ceiling bill Wednesday, days away from a default deadline. Federal officials have called an emergency summit to address the number of horse deaths at Churchill Downs.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. This video shows the National Zoo's first newborn gorilla in five years.

Now, here we go with Wednesday's news.

Suspected Chinese spies attempted to infiltrate Alaskan military bases

Chinese citizens posing as tourists but suspected of being spies have made several attempts in recent years to gain access to military facilities, according to U.S. officials.

Officials say the military is taking a number of steps to make sure those bases are secure but have provided few specifics.

In one incident, a vehicle with Chinese citizens blew past a security checkpoint at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, several soldiers told USA TODAY. The vehicle was eventually stopped, and a search found a drone inside the vehicle. The occupants claimed they were tourists who had gotten lost.
Details about the incidents remain mostly classified. Military briefings and publicly available information lay out why the Chinese government would be interested in Alaska.
Alaska is key to homeland defense given its proximity to Russia, the ballistic missile threat from North Korea and, increasingly, China.

McCarthy speakership on thin ice ahead of House debt ceiling vote

Republican Kevin McCarthy's razor-thin speakership faces its biggest test since he grabbed the gavel in January as his debt deal with President Joe Biden comes up for a vote Wednesday. Any victory lap is contingent upon getting the Biden-McCarthy deal through a thorny Republican caucus filled with conservative lawmakers who have fealty to slashing government spending. And there's no guarantee progressive Democrats, who held a conference call Monday to discuss the plan, will back up Biden either. Here are three things to know ahead of today's debt ceiling vote in the House.

To default or not to default: What debt ceiling deal means for the economy and your wallet.
Food stamp spending would grow under the McCarthy-Biden debt limit deal, CBO predicts.
Here's why McCarthy faced a revolt from GOP conservatives over a debt limit deal with Biden.

More news to know now

The U.S. is threatening sanctions, visa restrictions against Uganda over an anti-LGBTQ law.
A Florida school board meeting highlighted a national controversy and tension over a teacher who showed a Disney movie in her classroom.
AI poses risk of extinction, tech leaders warn in open letter. Here's why alarm is spreading.
Cruising Altitude: Why extra time, travel insurance are good ideas for your summer trips.
On today's  5 Things podcasta revolt from GOP conservatives over the debt deal. Listen on Apple PodcastsSpotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Jurors hear 911 call in Pittsburgh synagogue assault as trial begins

The trial of the man accused of carrying out the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history got underway Tuesday with prosecutors playing a recording of a synagogue victim's 911 call reporting that her husband had been shot. a The gunman carrying multiple firearms, including an AR-15 rifle and three handguns, entered Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue in October 2018 and opened fire, ultimately killing 11 people and injuring several others. Robert Bowers, a 50-year-old truck driver from the Pittsburgh suburb of Baldwin, could face the death penalty if convicted of some of the 63 counts with which he is charged. Read more

Stories from Ukrainians deported by Russia

The United States has estimated that as many as 1.6 million people may have been deported from Ukraine. Some Ukrainians were forced to move into Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine. Others were taken into Russia and, in some cases, placed in camps far on the other side of the country. Each case may be a war crime. USA TODAY has interviewed Ukrainians who were deported and others who were in close contact with deported relatives in 2022.  If you're a subscriber, you can read more here.

Graphic explainer: An illustrated explanation of Russia's deportation of Ukrainians, from the war zone to a remote camp.
A video game marketer by day, ammo hunter for Ukrainian soldiers by night.

2 Deportations5

Russian soldiers stopped people on the streets. Some were separated from their families and directed toward buses without knowing when or if they would see one another again.

Ariana Torrey, USA TODAY

Just for subscribers:

Indiana gun maker offers Republican lawmakers customized AR-15 style rifles, half off.
Mental health, safety investments promised after Uvalde shooting show little headway.
Chrysler promises contemporary, edgy design for first fully electric vehicle.
He'd stalked and assaulted women before. In Delaware, would he take it too far?

These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here

Horse racing officials call emergency summit 

A federal authority called an emergency veterinary summit in Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday with horse racing officials to review and analyze the "unusually high number" of deaths at Churchill Downs, home to the Kentucky Derby. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) will focus on factors that could have led to the spike in horse deaths, including veterinary oversight and misuse of medications, as well as examining Churchill Downs' racing surfaces. Read more

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An equine ambulance carrying Here Mi Song is driven off the track after racing in the 10th race ahead of the 149th Kentucky Derby. The horse survived.

Rob Carr, Getty Images

Quick hits

Scientists generate "electricity from thin air." Humidity could be a boundless source of energy, they say.
Novak Djokovic made a political statement about Kosovo at the French Open.
Duggar family documentary ''Shiny Happy People'' alleges a secret cult of abuse.
A rare albino giant panda was spotted visiting other pandas in a China nature reserve.
The John Coughlin scandal rocked U.S. Figure Skating. Now a supporter of his has been hired.

Photo of the day: Can you roll faster than a wheel of cheese?

The rules to England's annual cheese-rolling event are simple: Be the first person to finish behind the 7-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. Hundreds of people gathered near Gloucester to watch the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake race Monday, the Associated Press reported. A 19-year-old woman from Canada won the women's race after being knocked unconscious. Read more

Ap Britain Cheese Rolling I Gbr

The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event where participants race down the 200-yard (180 m) long hill chasing a wheel of double gloucester cheese.

Kin Cheung, AP

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on  Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

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