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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Fri Jul 26 2024

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

An ambitious and unique opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics gets underway Friday hours after arsonists attacked train lines around the city. Two alleged cartel leaders of the Sinaloa drug cartel are in U.S. custody. GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Time to stock up on some Olympics merch.

Amid security woes, thousands of athletes will cruise the River Seine

Ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics, France's national train network said it was targeted by several "malicious acts" that froze high-speed lines around the city.

Up to 800,000 passengers were impacted by the "massive attack" and rail service provider SNCF said the incident was aimed at "paralyzing the network."

•	Fires on train tracks come as French and international security officials are on high alert for disruptions to the Olympics.
•	In a Games first, the opening ceremony will be completely outside, along the river Seine. France's capital is in virtual lockdown with tens of thousands of police and military personnel deployed to keep the event safe.
•	Athletes from around the world, including Team USA flag bearers LeBron James and Coco Gauff, will float on boats in a Parade of Nations across Paris (here's the order of countries).

🏅Welcome to the Paris Olympic Games 2024🏅For the next few weeks, Daily Briefing will include a bonus item from the Games, whether it's a chat with an athlete or the latest record set. If you want more news from Paris, follow @usatodaysports for on-the-ground updates, text our Olympics WhatsApp channel and sign up for USA TODAY's daily Olympics newsletter, Chasing Gold.

Passengers inside the Montparnasse train station after damage to high-speed rail lines caused delays and cancellations on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.

David Ramos, Getty Images

It wouldn't be Paris without a scandal

The Canadian Olympic Committee removed women's national soccer team coach Bev Priestman from the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday amid stunning allegations of using drone surveillance to spy on the opposition. Two staff members — assistant coach Jasmine Mander and soccer analyst Joseph Lombardi — were also sent home before Priestman was suspended. According to Canadian media, Lombardi was caught by French police retrieving a drone that had been flying over the training facility for the New Zealand national team. Read more

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Two alleged cartel leaders in US custody

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, the co-founder and alleged leader of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, along with Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, were arrested Thursday by federal authorities in Texas. The two alleged cartel leaders, according to officials, "will now face justice in the United States" after they oversaw "the trafficking of tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence." Read more

Will Harris strike a different tone on Israel than Biden?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will sit down on Friday with Donald Trump at the 2024 Republican presidential nominee's Florida estate after he leaves Washington, the former president said. Trump is in a close race for the presidency with Vice President Kamala Harris, polling on the match-up shows. Each candidate is looking to impress Americans with a position on the war in Gaza. On Thursday, Harris had her own meeting with Netanyahu, after which she said Israel has a right to defend itself, but how it does so matters and she remains concerned about the scale of human suffering in Gaza. Read more

US Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on July 25, 2024.

ROBERTO SCHMIDT, AFP via Getty Images

Keep scrolling

•	SAG-AFTRA announced a video game performers' strike over AI and pay.
•	Olivia Culpo is finally addressing those wedding dress comments.
•	Chipotle is addressing portion complaints.
•	Jeremy Allen White told USA TODAY he'd win an Olympic medal for "calling my mom back."
•	Taylor Swift really cares about "Deadpool & Wolverine".

California's largest wildfire burns over 125,000 acres in under 36 hours

The Park Fire is this year's largest wildfire in California - and it's been burning for less than three days. In that time, it's torched over 125,000 acres. The record-breaking fire burned 71,000 acres in less than 24 hours. CalFire has issued evacuation orders and warnings across Butte and Tehama counties, some reaching Chico city limits. No fatalities have been reported. The cause of the fire, currently only 3 percent contained, is under active investigation. Read more

We're all thinking about Olympic sex

In the weeks leading up to the games, fans and media outlets are buzzing about all the sex that supposedly happens among athletes − as they do every Olympics season. And as they say, Paris is the city of love!

Follow @usatodaysports for all things Paris Olympics 2024.

USA TODAY

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.