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| Happy Wednesday, Daily Briefing readers! For some, today is a day to breathe a sigh of relief as temporary help is on the way for many Americans who are facing eviction. But for those flying Spirit Airlines, today will likely be a day filled with stress as cancellations continue to plague the airline. And Happy 60th Birthday, President Obama! |
| Steve is here with Wednesday's news. |
| 🌎 New this morning: Despite the risk the delta variant poses to the unvaccinated, it's the people inoculated against COVID-19 who are more concerned about the highly contagious version, according to a new poll released Wednesday. |
| ⚖ New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo 'can no longer remain in office': Assembly Democrats are largely in agreement to move forward with articles of impeachment if the Democratic governor doesn't resign after an investigation found Cuomo violated state and federal laws by sexually harassing multiple women. In an editorial published Tuesday, the USA TODAY Editorial Board also called for Cuomo's resignation. |
| 🔵 QAnon is adapting to the post-Trump era: Followers are distancing themselves from the movement's most bizarre conspiracy theories as they rebrand. |
| 🗳 Progressives take a loss: In a Democratic primary for an open U.S. House seat in Ohio's 11th Congressional District, Shontel Brown, who was endorsed by Hillary Clinton, held off Nina Turner, a veteran of Bernie Sanders' two presidential campaigns. |
| 🗳 Trump's guy gets the win: Coal lobbyist Mike Carey, who got an endorsement from the former president, won the Republican special primary in Ohio's 15th Congressional District Tuesday. Carey was part of a formidable field of 11 GOP primary contenders. |
| 💉 'Left behind': Drummer Pete Parada has been dropped from the American rock band The Offspring for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. |
| 🎶 'He's my musical companion': Lady Gaga salutes and duets with Tony Bennett at an emotional show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear from Simone Biles after her final event in Tokyo. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| What else is happening today: |
Help is on the way for Americans facing eviction |
| Many Americans who were facing the threat of eviction will now receive a measure of relief , after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new eviction moratorium Tuesday. The new action, which is expected to last 60 days, will ban evictions in counties with high rates of COVID-19 transmission, reflecting where the CDC recommends vaccinated resident masks indoors and in public settings. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signed the order Tuesday evening after President Joe Biden confirmed the move earlier in the day. Biden said his hope is the new targeted action would in some way cover close to 90% of Americans who are renters. He also noted that pending litigation will "probably give some additional time" for rental assistance funds to flow. |
Updates from the Tokyo Olympics |
| 🔴 Investigation suspended: Given the unexpected death of U.S. shot putter Raven Saunders' mother, the International Olympic Committee has paused its probe into her demonstration on the medals podium at the Tokyo Olympics. Clarissa Saunders died Tuesday, two days after watching her daughter win a silver medal. |
| 🔴 Another solid win: Scott Kazmir delivered five scoreless innings, Triston Casas and Tyler Austin hit home runs and the U.S. baseball team scored a 3-1 win over the Dominican Republic Wednesday. The U.S. advanced to the tournament semifinals with the victory. |
| 🔴 Star breaks her own record: Sydney McLaughlin, the 21-year-old New Jersey product, broke her own world record by nearly half a second in the 400-meter hurdles Wednesday en route to Olympic gold, outsprinting compatriot and reigning world champion Dailah Muhammad. |
 | | Sydney Mclaughlin of the United States, celebrates after winning the gold medal in the women's 400-meter hurdles during the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 4, 2021. | | Associated Press photo; USA TODAY graphic | |
Chaos continues: Spirit Airlines' flight woes enter fourth day |
| Spirit Airlines passengers face another day of cancellations Wednesday, extending the airline's travel chaos into its fourth day. The Florida-based airline, famous for its yellow planes, cheap tickets and a pile of fees, has already canceled 304 Wednesday flights as of 6 a.m. ET, according to flight tracker FlightAware . That's 45% of its scheduled flights. Spirit has been scrubbing flights since Sunday, stranding passengers around the country due to summer storms, technology outages and staffing shortages. The airline canceled a whopping 61% of its Tuesday flights, FlightAware reported. The airline and airports it serves have been warning travelers to check their email for flight changes and to check flight status before they go to the airport. Travelers whose flights are canceled are due a refund, per Department of Transportation rules. Spirit said the best way to get a refund is to use its new online chat. |
What else people are reading: |
| 🔴 'There is nothing I can do from over here': Simone Biles revealed that her aunt died during the Tokyo Olympics. |
| 🔵 'That movement is a bit scary to me': A toxic invasive poison hemlock is spreading into U.S. parks and backyard gardens. |
| 🔵 'After 20 years, we decided to get married': John Corbett and Bo Derek secretly tied the knot last year after first getting together in 2002. |
| 🔵 Three counts of misdemeanor battery was the result: A passenger was taped to a seat on a plane after allegedly groping and punching a crew on a Frontier Airlines flight. |
| 🔵 A larger-than-average result: There's a "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico this summer that's bigger than the state of Connecticut. |
Cheerleader Jerry Harris appears in court |
| A federal court hearing is scheduled Wednesday for celebrity cheerleader Jerry Harris, who is accused of soliciting sex and explicit photos from minors. Harris, 22, has pleaded not guilty to federal charges , including receiving and attempting to receive child pornography and four counts of using, persuading, inducing, and enticing a minor "to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, and … transmitting a live visual depiction of such conduct," federal court records state. The initial criminal investigation was based on allegations brought by twin brothers, then 14. In interviews with USA TODAY , the boys described a pattern of harassment, both online and at cheer competitions, that started when they were 13 and Harris was 19. They said it continued for more than a year. Harris, who rose to fame when he was featured in Netflix's "Cheer" docuseries, was arrested last September and remains behind bars. |
Newsmakers in their own words: President Biden speaks on Cuomo |
 | | President Joe Biden speaks at the White House in Washington on Aug. 3, 2021. | | Associated Press photo; USA TODAY graphic | |
| President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign following a damning new report from the state attorney general's office that alleged Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women including state employees in violation of state and federal laws. |
| Biden is sticking by his position from March when he said the Democratic governor should resign if the probe confirmed the harassment claims. |
Strong winds could worsen 'biggest ever' wildfire on Hawaii's Big Island |
| The strong winds and dry conditions on Hawaii's Big Island are expected to persist, with minimal improvement, the National Weather Service said. The dangerous conditions come as the area manages the largest wildfire ever recorded on the island, which forced thousands to flee over the weekend. Officials also warned the powerful winds — forecast at 18 mph to 20 mph, and gusts were up to 40 mph — could exacerbate the massive fire. Looking ahead, officials said evacuation orders that were lifted previously could be reinstated and that people should be ready to go again. "With the drought conditions that we've had, it is of concern," Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth said when talking about the blaze. "You see something like this where you're putting thousands of homes in danger, it's very concerning." |
Barack Obama celebrates his 60th birthday |
| Former President Barack Obama is turning 60 Wednesday and he's marking the milestone with a big celebration. The Obamas are hosting an outdoor party on the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard to celebrate the day with friends, family and former staff members, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY. Concerns about the safety of Obama's birthday gathering circulated on social media earlier this week, following the CDC's recommendation that people in COVID-19 hot spots resume mask-wearing in indoor public spaces. Obama's event will be held outdoors, and all invitees will be required to follow CDC public health protocols, including a testing regimen. Some users on social media still criticized Obama for organizing an event during a pandemic. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published Monday |
| 🚓 A 'tragic' loss: A Pentagon Police Officer died after being attacked on Tuesday morning at a transit station just outside the Pentagon, federal officials say. |
| 🦠 Monday's COVID-19 news: New York is set to become first major U.S. city to require vaccination proof for indoor activities. |
| ⚾ 'He needs a lot of prayers': Philadelphia Phillies minor-leaguer Daniel Brito, 23, is in stable condition after collapsing on the field during a game over the weekend. |
📸 Photo of the day: Breanna Stewart helps lead Team USA to victory 📸 |
 | | Team USA's Breanna Stewart (10) drives for a layup against Australia during the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021. | | Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports | |
| The U.S. women's basketball team may have lost an exhibition to Australia in Las Vegas before the Olympics. But when Olympic elimination was on the line against the Opals in a quarterfinal Wednesday, the Americans took no chances in a 79-55 victory that was all but over at halftime. |
| Head here to check out the Best photos from the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. |
| 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. |
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