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| Happy Friday, Daily Briefing readers! The Olympics opening ceremony is finally here – but the coronavirus pandemic will make it look very different. The funeral for Haiti's assassinated President Jovenel Moïseis due to take place. And if you look up to the sky tonight, you might see a full "buck" moon. And in an eerie twist, wildfires burning in the West could turn it red or orange. |
| It's Steve and Jane with Friday's news. |
| 🔴 New this morning: "They swept it under the rug." Cheer Extreme, a prominent cheerleading gym, disregarded sex abuse allegations in a glaring example of how the sport's weak child protection policies can put children at risk. |
| 💉 "How selfish": With nearly 100 Olympians unvaccinated, too many Americans are terrible teammates and guests, writes USA TODAY Sports columnist Christine Brennan in this op-ed. |
| 🎤 "We gonna be OK": Kanye West presented the official unveiling of "Donda," his long-awaited 10th album, to a crowd of 42,000 in Atlanta. |
| ⚖️ The FBI received more than 4,500 tips during its background investigation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, prompting new criticism from Senate Democrats. |
| 🔵 "Blackout challenge": A 12-year-old boy from Oklahoma died after participating in a dangerous social media trend on TikTok, according to a local TV report. |
| 🏅 Text with us at the Tokyo Olympics: Subscribe to USA TODAY's Olympic texts, where we'll be your official guide to the Games. |
| 📰 How well did you keep up with this week's headlines? Take our news quiz to find out. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, it's Olympics Day! As the opening ceremony takes place, USA TODAY Sports' Tom Schad takes a look at what to expect. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
A very different Olympics opening ceremony |
| After a long delay, the Tokyo Olympics' opening ceremony is here. Fans will not be in attendance, and organizers said the crowd on hand will be limited to about 950 people, including VIPs, government officials and foreign dignitaries. First lady Jill Biden will be there as the head of the U.S. delegation. About 230 U.S athletes will march during the ceremony, including two flag bearers for the first time in the country's history. About 50 protesters gathered in Tokyo ahead of the ceremony to demand the cancellation of the Olympics as worries grew of worsening COVID-19 infections during the Games, which are opposed by much of Japan. Broadcast of the ceremony will begin at 6:55 a.m. ET on NBC and will re-air at 7:30 p.m. ET. |
| 🔵 Olympics trivia: Test your knowledge of the summer games |
 | | After a year-long delay, the Tokyo Olympics' opening ceremony is here. | | USA TODAY | |
Violent protests in Haiti ahead of funeral for slain president |
| A funeral for slain Haitian president Jovenel Moïse will be held Friday, more than two weeks after he was assassinated. A priest said at a memorial service Thursday that too much blood is being shed in Haiti as authorities warned of more unrest ahead of his funeral. Demonstrations after the Mass turned violent Thursday with protesters shooting into the air, throwing rocks and overturning concrete barricades. Haitian officials have said Moïse was killed on July 7 by a team of foreign "mercenaries" that included up to three Americans of Haitian descent. Haiti's police chief, Léon Charles, said 26 suspects have been arrested so far, including three police officers and 18 former Colombian soldiers. |
What else people are reading: |
| 🔵 Landmark decision challenged: The state of Mississippi has asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in a blockbuster abortion case. |
| 🔵 "I'm sort of Trumped out": At 98 and facing cancer, former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole reckons with the legacy of Donald Trump and ponders his party's future. |
| 🔴 "We will all remember Knapper for his kindness": New York Jets assistant coach Greg Knapp, 58, died after a recent bicycling accident. |
| 🔵 Country singer Luke Combs covered the funeral costs of three people found dead near Michigan's Faster Horses Festival, where he recently performed. |
| 🔴 "The most incredible ring that's ever been made": Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers received their Super Bowl 55 championship rings – and the highlight is a removable top. |
Biden jumpstarts efforts on campaign trail for Democrats |
| President Joe Biden will deliver a speech in Virginia Friday on behalf of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. The speech will be his first public campaign event as president and perhaps a glimpse into more presidential support to come for congressional Democrats. Biden's involved approach comes as Democrats face a challenging set of congressional elections next year. The president has been a driving force as the Democratic National Committee sets fundraising records, strengthens its ties to state parties and reaches out to more voters. These efforts are crucial to Democrats, who face an uphill battle to keep control of Congress, where their narrow majorities have made it hard for him to achieve major parts of his far-reaching legislative ambitions. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Tommy Dorfman on breaking barriers |
 | | Tommy Dorfman posing for Time Magazine | | Time photo by Gizelle Hernandez; USA TODAY graphic | |
| Tommy Dorfman, who played Ryan Shaver in the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why," revealed she has been "privately identifying and living as a woman" in an interview with Time magazine. In an Instagram post also published Thursday, Dorfman shared her gratitude for other trans women who "broke barriers, and risked their lives to live authentically." |
Season 2 of 'Ted Lasso' debuts on Apple TV+ |
| Season 2 of the stunning comedy hit "Ted Lasso" premiered Friday on Apple TV+ (and new episodes will stream every Friday). Nominated for a whopping 20 Emmys, including seven for the series' actors, "Lasso" stars "Saturday Night Live" alum Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, an unabashedly enthusiastic American college football coach who takes a job leading a British Premier League soccer team despite knowing very little about the sport. As USA TODAY TV critic Kelly Lawler notes in her (★★★½ out of four) review of Season 2, the show "was perfect in every way for 2020, a surprise critical hit for Apple and a bright spot amid the darkness brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic." |
Premiering in theaters Friday |
| 📽 "Old": Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan's new supernatural thriller sees a group of vacationers (including Gael García Bernal and Vicky Krieps) trapped on a nightmare beach, age rapidly in a paradise locale they can't escape. |
| 📽 "Joe Bell": Based on a true story, Mark Wahlberg plays the title character, an Oregon man who sets off on a walk to New York City to speak out on bullying in the name of his gay teen son Jadin (Reid Miller). |
| 📽 "Snake Eyes": The new "G.I. Joe Origins" film casts Henry Golding as the title character, a vengeful loner needing a family, who gets mixed up with the wrong people and then learns the ways of an ancient ninja clan and tussles with global terrorists. |
 | | Henry Golding plays the title character in "Snake Eyes." | | Photo by Ed Araquel; USA TODAY graphic | |
Full 'buck' moon rises — but wildfires could turn it red or orange |
| A full "buck" moon will rise in the southeastern sky Friday , though smoke from wildfires in the West could make it appear red or orange in some parts of the United States. The name "buck" moon comes from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American and European sources, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. "The full moon in July is called the buck moon because the antlers of male deer (bucks) are in full-growth mode at this time. Bucks shed and regrow their antlers each year, producing a larger and more impressive set as the years go by," the almanac said. The moon will reach peak illumination at 10:37 p.m. ET. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published Thursday |
| 📚 New Trump books: Former Vice President Mike Pence refused to leave the Capitol on Jan. 6 and suggested the Insurrection Act for Black Lives Matters protests. |
| 💉 President Joe Biden said children under the age 12 could be eligible for COVID vaccines in weeks. That's not likely. |
| 🏈 NFL star speaks out: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said the NFL's COVID-19 rules make him question his future. |
📸 Photo of the day: Stars turn out for Premios Juventud 📸 |
 | | (Left to right) Pitbull, Farruko and El Alfa perform onstage at Premios Juventud 2021 at Watsco Center on July 22, 2021 in Coral Gables, Florida. | | Jason Koerner, Getty Images for Univision | |
| The 18th annual Premios Juventud show, held at at the University of Miami, returned with a live audience Thursday night with performances from Latin music's best artists. |
| Tap here to scroll through for some of the best photos from the unforgettable night, including hot performances by Karol G, Ricky Martin, Kali Uchis, Becky G and more. |
| The Daily Briefing is free, but several stories we link to in this edition are subscriber-only. Please support our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today. |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
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