Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Assange's plea agreement

eNewspaper | Crosswords | Horoscopes

Read in browser

The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Tue Jun 25 2024

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has agreed to plead guilty to violating the Espionage Act. Why sextortion threats are targeting young boys and the Florida Panthers captured their first Stanley Cup.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Here are the facts on sunscreen.

Assange agrees to plead guilty to one felony

Julian Assange has fought extradition for years to avoid facing charges for releasing an enormous trove of classified information about U.S. military activity in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, under the terms of a plea deal with U.S. prosecutors, Assange will get no more detention time than the 62 months he has already served in the United Kingdom. Assange is set to be released to Australia, his country of citizenship, after a Tuesday court proceeding is over, according to federal records. Read more

Will Trump get another gag order?

A federal judge in Florida appeared skeptical Monday when the government said former President Donald Trump should be gagged after claiming President Joe Biden was "locked & loaded" to kill him during an FBI raid of Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. That was one of a handful of statements special counsel Jack Smith noted in requesting the gag order in the Florida federal criminal case that charges Trump with willfully retaining national defense information. Read more

More news to know now

•	How will a large wave of Saharan dust heading for Florida affect storms?
•	A federal judge blocked part of Biden's student loan repayment plan.
•	Biden and Trump's presidential debate prep is at odds.
•	Female eligibility for the draft is up for a vote in the Senate.
•	It's game time! Play today's USA TODAY Crossword. Our expert Sally breaks it down.

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

Abortion access two years after Dobbs

This week marks the two-year anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and handed the right to abortion to the states.

Since June 2022, the landscape for abortion access has significantly altered: Fourteen states have all-out banned abortion. Americans in banned or restrictive states are forced to travel long distances to seek care, while accepting states scramble to meet high demand. And the issues have returned to the Supreme Court — earlier this month, the justices decided to maintain FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone.

•	Abortion clinics reinvented themselves after Dobbs. They're still struggling.
•	Infant deaths are increasing, not decreasing: In the wake of Texas' near-total abortion ban, more babies died before their first birthday, likely due to health issues that wouldn't have allowed them to live, a new study found. These pregnancies would typically have been terminated by abortion. Researchers say similar results showed in states with laws akin to Texas' SB 8.
•	What is Trump saying about abortion? Trump said over the weekend that even if states want to restrict abortion, he supports exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and life-threatening medical emergencies.

War and elections: Iran in focus

Israel will not end the war in Gaza until all hostages held by Hamas-led militants are returned, Hamas is eliminated and "Iran's intentions to destroy us" have been thwarted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli lawmakers Monday. The comments came a day after the prime minister drew criticism for appearing to reject the cease-fire plan, designed to roll into permanent peace if both sides follow steps laid out in the proposal. Meanwhile, Iran is heating up for a presidential election this week which highlights division between supporters and opponents of the 45-year-old Islamic Republic. Read more

Keep scrolling

•	An object from space crashed into a Florida home. The family wants accountability.
•	We can't stop watching that Travis-Taylor performance from the Eras Tour in London.
•	Why is Team USA bringing AC units to Paris?
•	Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are full nostalgia on the "Freaky Friday" sequel set.
•	Why did everyone suddenly stop using headphones in public?

More teens are threatened with sextortion

Financial "sextortion" schemes have surged in recent years with offenders appearing to primarily target teenage boys through Instagram and other social media platforms, threatening victims with compromising imagery in exchange for cash. Over the last several years, concerns over a "unique" form of sextortion targeting young boys have increased, according to a new report. Financial sextortion deviates from sexual or relational demands and instead involves demands specifically for money. Read more

Photo of the day: Florida wins first Stanley Cup title

The Florida Panthers are first-time Stanley Cup champions, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on Monday, ending a three-game losing streak after they had won the first three games of the championship round. Read our full recap of Game 7.

Nhl Stanley Cup Final Edmonton Oilers At Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart (13) hoists the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7.

Sam Navarro, USA TODAY Sports

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.