promoearn: The bee is back! Who will lift the Scripps spelling bee trophy?

Thursday, July 8

Started in 1925, the Scripps National Spelling Bee is now televised nationally and students have gone from studying the dictionary to using highly paid coaches and computers. The competition was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic but is soon coming back with preliminaries starting mid-June. The spellers that make up this competition come […]

The bee is back! Who will lift the Scripps spelling bee trophy?

Crews in the Florida building collapse switch to recovery, the Scripps National Spelling Bee returns and more news to start your Thursday.

Good morning, Daily Briefing readers. In tragic news for grief-stricken families, crews combing the rubble of the collapsed condo building in Florida are now focusing on recovery. President Joe Biden will discuss what's next after the departure of U.S. troops from Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.

Spelling fans, I have good news for you – the Scripps National Spelling Bee final returns tonight after the coronavirus pandemic forced its cancellation last year for the first time since 1945. Who will be the best speller of them all?

It's Jane, with Thursday's news.

🚔 New this morning: Concerns about crime and gun violence have surged to the top of issues that worry Americans, an exclusive new USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds, but attitudes about how to respond reflect the repercussions of the nation's debate over racial justice.

🔴 Tragic milestone: The global death toll from COVID-19 eclipsed 4 million as the crisis becomes a race between the vaccine and highly contagious variants. For the latest coronavirus updates, tap here.

👑 Princess Latifa was running away from her father, the authoritarian ruler of Dubai, when her escape was thwarted. The FBI played a key role in locating her. Here's what we know.

🎥 Suzzanne Douglas, the actress known for her roles in "The Parent 'Hood" and "When They See Us," has died. She was 64.

🏒 Lighting strikes twice: The Tampa Bay Lightning are back-to-back Stanley Cup champions after beating the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

⚖️ Rudy Giuliani, former President Donald Trump's personal attorney, is now barred from practicing law in Washington, D.C.

🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear how the Surfside collapse site shifts from rescue to recovery. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.

Here's what's happening today:

Search efforts in Florida condo building collapse shift from rescue to recovery

Authorities are now focusing on recovery at the Surfside, Florida, condo building that collapsed on June 24 – shifting the efforts from rescue Wednesday. Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told families of those missing that after sifting through all areas of debris, officials have concluded it will now be next to impossible to find people alive. Emergency teams would remove rescue dogs and sound devices but would continue to search through the rubble for the bodies of victims, Jadallah said at a private briefing Wednesday. Over the course of 14 days, crews recovered one survivor. The death toll is now at 54, with 86 additional people unaccounted for.

It's back! Spellers vie for Scripps National Spelling Bee trophy

Eleven young spelling aces who have already proven their linguistic prowess in local and regional competition will face off Thursday in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The champion will receive a $50,000 cash prize. Last year, the contest was canceled for the first time since 1945 due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year's final round, which is being held at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida, will be televised live on ESPN2 starting at 8 p.m. ET.

What else people are reading:

🔴 Unidentified gunmen assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and wounded his wife early Wednesday, an attack President Joe Biden described as "very worrisome."

🔵 The man who died after a car crash involving a Minneapolis police squad car was identified as the uncle of Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed the murder of George Floyd.

🚁 COVID-19 created Helicopter Parents 2.0 and engaged others for the first time. What happens now?

⚖️ Britney Spears' mother weighed in on her conservatorship saga, pleading with the court to allow her daughter to pick a new attorney of her own choice.

🐶 'Puppy snatchers get snatched': Two women are facing felony charges in Texas after they were accused of trying to steal a puppy worth more than $11,000.

Biden will discuss drawdown efforts in Afghanistan

Last week, the Biden administration confirmed that U.S. military troops have left Bagram Airfield and handed the base over to Afghan security forces – effectively ending the U.S. combat role after nearly 20 years of war. The departure from Bagram, which served as the hub of the American-led war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, came even as some U.S. officials warn that a resurgent Taliban could soon topple the Afghan government. On Thursday, President Joe Biden will deliver a speech to discuss U.S. drawdown efforts in the country.

An Afghan National Army soldier takes a selfie with his mobile phone inside the Bagram air base on July 5, 2021, after all U.S. and NATO troops left.

Wakil Kohsar, AFP via Getty Images

Tropical Storm Elsa continues path through US

After Tropical Storm Elsa left one person dead in Florida and several injured in southeast Georgia, it is expected to move across the southeastern and mid-Atlantic U.S. through Thursday. Authorities in Jacksonville, Florida, said one person was killed Wednesday when a tree fell and struck two cars. The National Weather Service reported 50 mph wind gusts in the city. In Georgia, a possible tornado struck a park for recreational vehicles at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, leaving 10 people injured, said base spokesman Scott Bassett. As for Elsa's impact on Thursday, flash flooding and up to 5 inches of rain are possible, while tornadoes may also develop from the southeastern U.S. up to Virginia.

ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday

🔵 'America's got talent': Simon Cowell broke the show's rules so a 9-year-old opera singer could make history.

🔵 Princess Latifa of Dubai's escape plan was dashed in 2018, but how her father found her was a mystery. USA TODAY found the FBI helped.

🔵 The NABJ expressed "outrage" over a report that uncovered "a toxic ESPN culture that appears to promote bias" and requested a meeting with executives.

🔵 Donald Trump said he sued the top officials of Facebook and Twitter for keeping him off social media.

Bucks try to hold off surging Suns in NBA Finals

The Phoenix Suns are hoping for another standout performance from Chris Paul as they try to take a lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals Thursday night (9 p.m. ET, ABC). The veteran point guard, appearing in the Finals for the first time, led all scorers with 32 points in the Suns' 118-105 victory in Game 1. Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is nursing a knee injury but was able to pitch in with 20 points and 17 rebounds. Overhanging the series is ESPN's inner turmoil involving NBA anchors Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor, after Nichols' comments about the company became public.

📸 Happy anniversary! Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter celebrate 75 years of marriage 📸

The Carters wave to marchers in the Plains Peanut Festival parade in Plains, Ga. in 2002.

H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary yesterday. "It's a full partnership," the 39th president told The Associated Press ahead of the milestone. Check out our gallery of the longest-married presidential couple in American history through the years.

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