Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Yes, turbulence is getting worse.

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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Wed May 22 2024

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

One person is dead, and 30 are injured after a Singapore Airlines flight hit severe turbulence. A Super PAC is spending major dollars to back pro-Israel candidates. A hack reveals American firearms tied to smugglers.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Why is the May full moon called the "flower moon"?

Singapore Airlines plane made 'dramatic drop'

With around three hours left on the journey from London to Singapore, there was little warning of the chaos that was about to be unleashed onboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321.

But then passengers and objects within the cabin were flung when the flight suddenly fell into an air pocket before encountering turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said. One passenger was killed and 30 injured.

•	Turbulence deaths are extremely rare, but turbulence is getting worse, and that trend is likely to continue because of climate change.
•	What's clear air turbulence? It's the hardest type to predict and is likely to become more frequent and intense , experts say.
•	One 28-year-old passenger braced himself. He had his seatbelt on. Many of the other passengers did not.

1 dead and 30 injured after a Singapore Air flight faced severe turbulence and made an emergency landing Bangkok. 18 of the injured were hospitalized.

Dzafran Azmir

Trump trial testimony comes to explosive end

Donald Trump's defense rested Tuesday without the presumptive Republican nominee taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial, setting the stage for final arguments and jury deliberations next week − and the first-ever criminal verdict rendered for a former president. The end of testimony came after Judge Juan Merchan reprimanded one of just two defense witnesses and after a key prosecution witness − former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen − acknowledged stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization. Read more

More news to know now

•	As Trump's trial nears an end, the Bidens prep for a month in legal purgatory.
•	Will America lose Red Lobster?
•	Why celebrity women haven't crossed into politics.
•	Expect fewer rainbow logos for LGBTQ Pride Month.
•	On today's The Excerpt podcast, an activist group with ties to old groups that funded Hamas. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

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

AIPAC-backed pro-Israel candidates are winning primaries

A key pro-Israel group is spending big this year to elect people to Congress who share its views, buoyed by a fundraising boost that began in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The United Democracy Project, a super PAC that can raise unlimited amounts of money, spent $3.3 million in April on a race in Maryland and another $1.2 million on a race in Indiana. Both of its candidates won. Read more

A new nightmare for the US gun industry

A massive leak of Mexican military intelligence has exposed for the first time in two decades U.S. gun shops and smugglers tied to 78,000 firearms recovered south of the border – and which types of guns are being trafficked. The nuggets of information are among roughly 10 million records hacked by an anonymous collective known as "Guacamaya" and shared with news outlets. Read the full USA TODAY investigation.

Keep scrolling

•	Demi Moore's "The Substance" received a standing ovation at Cannes.
•	Spirit Airlines eliminated change and cancellation fees for all tickets.
•	Reba McEntire scored victory in "The Voice' finale.
•	A NCAA settlement allowing revenue sharing with athletes faces a possible legal hurdle.
•	Trump's campaign threatened to sue over a "garbage" film that debuted at Cannes.

More allegations against Sean 'Diddy' Combs

In recent months, Sean "Diddy" Combs, 54, has faced a series of sexual assault lawsuits alleging he raped or sexually assaulted multiple women over the past few decades. In March, his Los Angeles home was raided by Homeland Security Investigations agents, reportedly in connection with an ongoing sex trafficking investigation in New York. On Sunday, Combs apologized after video emerged that appeared to show him physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. By Tuesday, a young model filed a lawsuit accusing the embattled music mogul of sexual assault in the early 2000s. Read more

Sean "Diddy" Combs and Cassie at the Met Gala May 7, 2018 in New York City.

Neilson Barnard, Getty Images

Photo of the day: Funeral for Iran's President Raisi in Tehran

Thousands of people gathered on the streets of the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday to mourn President Ebrahim Raisi and other high-ranking officials who died in a helicopter crash during foggy weather. The ceremonies and processions nevertheless came as Iranian and international investigators said they still don't have a strong indication as to what caused the crash. Read more

Mourners attend the funeral for victims of the helicopter crash that killed Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran, Iran, May 22, 2024.

Majid Asgaripour, via REUTERS

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.