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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Fri Mar 15 2024

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Did Starship land?

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship launches for it's third test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 14, 2024.

How SpaceX's third launch got lost over the Indian Ocean.

SpaceX launched a third test flight that outperformed the previous two last year, but the craft was apparently lost on reentry. Also in the news: Republicans are struggling to take a definitive stance on abortion as Democrats ramp up a 2024 campaign about reproductive rights. Duchess Meghan is back on Instagram just days after Princess Kate's photo editing debacle.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Early spring is bringing more pollen (and sneezing).

Here's the news to know Friday.

Third Starship test far more successful than the first two in 2023

SpaceX's uncrewed Starship was on its way to a powered splashdown in the Indian Ocean about an hour after launch when signals were lost at an altitude of about 40 miles. That indicated the uncrewed craft broke up before hitting the ocean. Nevertheless, the upper stage of the spacecraft soared into space after separating from its first stage. This test went much better than two previous ones, and SpaceX has implemented a number of fixes since then. During the test, multiple first-stage engines failed and the rocket began to tumble. Engineers activated a self-destruct mechanism while the ship was in mid-air. Read more

People gather to watch SpaceX's mega rocket Starship launch it's third test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 14, 2024.

Eric Gay, AP

Israel should hold elections and oust Netanyahu, Schumer says

In his harshest criticism yet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Thursday for Israelis to hold elections and choose a new government that can better handle the threat of Hamas. The message from an American, high-ranking Jewish lawmaker reflects the growing pressure among Democrats to forcefully push back against the catastrophic loss of life in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been pursuing Hamas militants and has killed more than 31,000 people. Read more

•	As Israel-Hamas war rages in Gaza, Americans of all age groups want Biden to do more.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. in Washington on March, 14, 2024.

J. Scott Applewhite, AP

More news to know now

•	A judge is expected to announce whether to remove Georgia DA Fani Willis from a Donald Trump election interference case.
•	A dangerous tornado was reported in Ohio, while others caused damage in Indiana and Kentucky.
•	With Haiti in the grips of gang violence, the U.S. diaspora lends a hand.
•	Dozens of performers pulled out of SXSW in protest of the Texas festival's military affiliations.
•	On today's The Excerpt podcast, a New York prosecutor agrees to delay former President Donald Trump's hush money trial for 30 days, though a judge's decision is still pending. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

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

Father of Michigan school shooter found guilty of manslaughter

James Crumbley, father of a school shooter in Michigan, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, a second conviction against the teenager's parents who were accused of failing to secure a gun at home and doing nothing to address acute signs of his mental turmoil.

Crumbley and his wife, Jennifer Crumbley are the first parents in the nation to be held criminally accountable for a child's school shooting. Their teenage son murdered four students and injured seven other people at Oxford High School in November 2021.

•	Prosecutors maintained James Crumbley was a careless, negligent father who bought a troubled son a gun and failed to secure it. Defense lawyers said the dad never saw any signs that his son was mentally ill or would ever harm someone, that the gun wasn't a gift his son could use freely, and that it was hidden.
•	The trial echoed claims made about Crumbley's wife. In February, Jennifer Crumbley was convicted on involuntary manslaughter charges.
•	Victims' families have long argued that the Crumbleys aren't the only ones who made mistakes, that school officials also were negligent and must be held accountable for their children's tragic deaths.

James Crumbley, the father of a Michigan school shooter, watching a video of the killing of four students at Oxford High School, March 12, 2024, in Pontiac, Michigan.

Carlos Osorio, AP

Kamala Harris declares 'health crisis' in historic visit to abortion clinic

Vice President Kamala Harris made a historic visit to an abortion clinic in Minnesota Thursday, declaring that access to reproductive medical care has spiraled into a "health crisis." The visit to the Planned Parenthood facility − the first ever by a president or vice president to a clinic that provides abortion services − marked the most dramatic push by President Joe Biden's reelection campaign to make access to abortion a defining issue in the 2024 election. Read more

•	The Texas Medical Board has agreed to issue guidance around abortion ban exceptions.
•	Republicans have also struggled to articulate a clear position on abortion rights. Now House Republicans are trying to turn the tide.

US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak during her visit to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on March 14, 2024.

STEPHEN MATUREN, AFP via Getty Images

Keep scrolling

•	Amid Kate's photo editing turmoil, Duchess Meghan has returned to Instagram.
•	Selection Sunday is this weekend. Here's what you need to know about the women's and men's NCAA tournament brackets.
•	Here's everything you need to know about Amazon's big spring sale.
•	Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is live (!!) to stream on Disney+ with a bonus "Acoustic Collection."
•	A cancer-causing chemical was found in these popular skincare brands.
•	Millions of Americans have been blocked from porn sites as free speech, child safety debate rage.
•	Outdoor Voices is closing its stores and is moving retail online.
•	We tested three free AI tools to see which one was the best.

How a safe house in Florida provides refuge for transgender people

Tucked in a quiet neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Tallahassee, Florida, the four-bedroom, 1,600-square-foot house with a brick archway and shrub-lined walkway is just 5 miles from the Capitol building. But it offers a sanctuary — albeit a limited one — from the transgender debates roiling the Florida legislature. Launched by a local transgender outreach nonprofit, it provides shelter for transgender people, a group that is more likely to be homeless, with many of them kicked out of their homes by disapproving relatives. Read more

•	President Joe Biden mourned Nex Benedict, a teen who didn't align with traditional gender categories and died by suicide.
•	Nebraska's governor has kept gender-affirming care regulations for minors in place.
•	What is deadnaming and how can that impact trans people's safety?

Residents of the organization's safe house for transgender women in Tallahassee, Florida.

Nada Hassanein/Stateline

Photo of the day: Is Russia's election even a contest?

Vladimir Putin, 71, Russia's longest serving leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, will almost certainly emerge victorious in the nation's eighth presidential election, which opened to voters on Friday. Read more

A huge screen broadcasting live feed from polling stations across Russia sits in the country's Central Electoral Commission (CEC) headquarters in Moscow on March 15, 2024, the first day of voting in the presidential election.

STRINGER, AFP via Getty Images

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.