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Happy Friday, Daily Briefing readers! Congrats on making it through another work week. |
In the news today, we will see President Joe Biden head to Louisiana to survey the damage Hurricane Ida did last weekend. Meanwhile, the Northeast is doing its own cleanup after the storm blew through Wednesday and Thursday, causing major flooding in New York City and New Jersey. |
Steve is here with Friday's news. |
π New this morning: The Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy settlement involving more than 82,000 sexual abuse claims will be determined in part, by the severity of abuse. |
π"Maybe we don't have control over our destinies": Beyond death and trauma, 9/11 changed life in America, even for the class of 2002 at a distant high school in America's breadbasket. |
π½ Twenty years ago Americans came together for 9/11: There was a sense of national unity. Why does the COVID-19 pandemic feel so different? |
π Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will not seek reelection, plans to step down: He has faced criticism and nosediving support ratings over slow coronavirus measures and holding the Olympics despite the public's health concerns. |
π "This was a violent attack. It was senseless": An extremist was shot and killed after six shoppers were stabbed in New Zealand supermarket, authorities say. |
πΊ "Dr. Addison Montgomery will see you shortly": In a surprise announcement Thursday, fan favorite Kate Walsh revealed she will return to the ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy" for Season 18. |
π College football winners and losers from Thursday: The winners include Ohio State and the losers include the American Athletic Conference. |
π° How well did you follow the news this week? Test your knowledge with our news quiz. |
π§ On today's 5 Things podcast, hear the latest from Ida as climate scientists warn more freak weather events are on the way. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
What else is happening today: |
Biden to visit New Orleans in wake of Hurricane Ida |
President Joe Biden plans to visit Louisiana Friday to survey damage from Hurricane Ida, which lashed the state last weekend as one of the five strongest storms to ever strike the U.S., packing 150 mph winds. He will also be meeting Louisiana's Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, and other state and local leaders. About 900,000 people in Louisiana, including much of New Orleans, remained without power and tens of thousands had no water in the midst of a sultry stretch of summer Thursday. Efforts continued to drain flooded communities, and lines for gas stretched for blocks in many places from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. But there were also glimmers of hope. Commercial flights resumed in New Orleans and power returned to parts of the business district Thursday. |
πΈ Photo of the day: New Jersey stadium stuck underwater after stormπΈ |
| TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater is shown under floodwaters Thursday, September 2, 2021. | Thomas P. Costello & Tariq Zehawi, USA TODAY Network | |
The death toll from the remnants of Hurricane Ida's blast through the Northeast rose Thursday after fierce downpours and flooding. At least 46 people died Wednesday and Thursday, state and local officials said. Twenty-three deaths were reported in New Jersey and 16 were in New York. |
In New Jersey, flooding killed two people in Hillsborough and two in Bridgewater, where TD Bank Ballpark, home of the New York Yankees' Double-A affiliate, is located and submerged. |
Head here for more photos of the flash floods that deluged New York and New Jersey as Tropical Storm Ida drenched the Northeast. |
π Ida leaves heartbreak and horror across 8 states: There are countless stories of the untold suffering caused as Ida made its destructive trek across the eastern United States. The storm has killed more than 54 people across eight states and its impacts have created dramatic nightmarish scenarios in the South and across the East Coast. |
π Visuals of Ida: Drone and satellite images have captured homes and neighborhoods flooded by the deadly storm. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Jen Psaki takes on a male reporter over abortion |
| White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki talks to reporters at the White House on Thursday, September 2, 2021. | Getty Images photo; USA TODAY graphic | |
During a briefing Thursday, reporter Owen Jensen with EWTN Global Catholic Network asked White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki how Biden can support abortion when "his own Catholic faith teaches that abortion is morally wrong." After a brief exchange, Psaki fired back at Jensen, noting that Biden believes it's up to the woman to make decisions when she's pregnant. |
The Supreme Court late Wednesday denied an effort by abortion rights groups to halt a Texas law that bans people from having procedures after six weeks of pregnancy. Biden in a statement Thursday criticized the Supreme Court's decision as an "unprecedented assault on a woman's constitutional rights." |
More on the Texas abortion law |
π΅ "A creative and cruel new twist to enforcement of abortion restrictions": Doctors and women assess the nation's strictest abortion law. |
π΅ "Shadow docket" rulings assailed: A series of contentious rulings, including the Texas abortion law, has sharpened criticism of how the Supreme Court handles emergency challenges. |
π΅ Some in Texas will be forced to remain pregnant. But at what cost? |
π΅ From USA TODAY Opinion contributor Jessica Waters: This is an assault on women, their bodies, their decision-making, their freedom and their autonomy. |
π΅ From columnist Suzette Hackney: If Texas leaders want to protect life, where are masks, vaccines and resources for kids? Get your own house in order first before trying to dictate control over my body. |
Massive fire still burning near Lake Tahoe |
After days of fierce winds, firefighters battling the Caldor Fire near Lake Tahoe took advantage of better weather conditions Thursday and were even able to allow some people back to their homes. Friday's forecast called for lighter winds but also extremely dry daytime weather, with a warming trend continuing through the weekend. The blaze has spanned over 330 square miles across two counties within miles of the popular tourist destination, forcing an unprecedented evacuation of all 22,000 residents of South Lake Tahoe, California, and tens of thousands of tourists. It has been burning since Aug. 14 and still threatens thousands of homes, businesses and other buildings ranging from cabins to ski resorts along its trek toward Nevada's border. |
What else people are reading: |
π΄ "Absolutely heartbroken": The death of Shannon Spruill, a former professional wrestler who went by the ring name Daffney Unger, was announced Thursday one day after posting some alarming social media videos. |
π΅ "We have a joke about our soft serve machine but are worried it won't work": According to a report, the broken ice cream machines at McDonald's locations are part of a FTC investigation. |
π΅ "COVID is driving supply constraints in countries that produce semiconductor chips": General Motors will temporarily halt production of nearly all of its U.S. plants due to a pandemic-related chip shortage overseas. |
π΅ "We have two very distraught parents": Twin toddlers left inside a hot SUV for an estimated nine hours were found dead at a South Carolina daycare. |
π΄ "It's about damn time for this": Bryan Ruby has become the only active professional baseball player to be out as gay. |
| Bryan Ruby poses for a portrait at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Oregon, on August 26, 2021. Bryan plays for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. | Photo by Amanda Lucier for USA TODAY; USA TODAY Sports graphic | |
August jobs report: Hiring may have slowed in face of the delta variant |
When the government issues its August jobs report Friday morning, it may show a stretch of robust hiring over the past few months slowing at a time when the COVID-19 delta variant's spread has discouraged some Americans from flying, shopping and eating out. Economists have forecast employers added 750,000 jobs in August, according to the data provider FactSet. That would be a substantial gain, though below the roughly 940,000 jobs that were added in July and, after the Labor Department revised its numbers, June as well. Some analysts are more pessimistic, expecting job growth of 500,000 or less. But even many of those economists expect any hiring slowdown to be brief, noting employers are still struggling to fill jobs to meet strengthened consumer demand. And with a $300-a-week federal unemployment supplement set to expire next week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and others speculated more of the unemployed would be looking for work. |
Marvel's long-awaited 'Shang-Chi' kicks into theaters |
After getting a head start preview before the holiday weekend Thursday night, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," opens in theaters Friday. In his ★★★ (out of four) review, USA TODAY film critic Brian Truitt writes "Shang-Chi" puts martial arts and Asian-influenced fantasy elements on display in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time." Starring Simu Liu, who Truitt says "exudes likability, swagger and depth," the film follows Shang-Chi and his best friend Katy (Awkwafina), who go from San Francisco hotel valets to global heroes as they try to foil the latest machinations of Shang-Chi's father Wenwu (Tony Leung), who wields 10 ancient mystical rings as the leader of a shadowy terrorist organization. In an interview with USA TODAY , Liu said he connected with his character's "feeling of being constantly in between worlds and struggling to figure out what path he wants to take." Liu is the mega-franchise's first lead Asian superhero. |
π΅ 'Shang-Chi' star Simu Liu 'would've given anything' to change his name to Steve: Asian Americans relate. |
| Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) roughs up a bad guy as best friend Katy (Awkwafina) looks on in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." | MARVEL STUDIOS | |
Drake's new album debuted early Friday morning |
Drake (finally) released his sixth studio album, "Certified Lover Boy" at 2 a.m. ET on Friday. On Monday, a day after his rival Kanye West's long-delayed "Donda" hit streaming services, Drake announced "CLB" was coming Friday after previous push backs. Then the four-time Grammy winner and habitual chart-topper amped up the hype during the week by buying a series of billboards in cities such as Atlanta, Chicago and Memphis to tease the album's collaborations. In New York, the billboard touted "The GOAT is on CLB" while another said "Hey Houston the hometown hero is on CLB." Speaking of buzzy collaborations, Lady Gaga also releases a remix of her 2020 pop-homecoming album called "Dawn of Chromatica" Friday. New guest artists include Charli XCX, Rina Sawayama and Bree Runway. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published Thursday |
π Podcast juggernaut breaks the news: Joe Rogan, who has regularly downplayed the need for vaccines, has announced that he tested positive for COVID-19. |
π "It looked apocalyptic": The Air Force crew that were part of the final evacuations described the departure from Afghanistan. |
π Before Bishop Sycamore: Christians of Faith Academy came first, along with lawsuits and unanswered questions. |
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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