eNewspaper | Crosswords | Horoscopes

The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Mon Jul 29 2024

Jane Onyanga-Omara | Audience Editor

Another packed schedule is in store on the third full day of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Protesters are calling for justice for Sonya Massey. Two major meteor showers will light up the night sky.

👋🏾 I'm Jane, Daily Briefing author. Airlines are almost being too nice. Why? And will it last?

2024 Paris Olympics: Men's gymnastics, swimming finals

It is the third full day of the 2024 Paris Olympics . Frederick Richard, Brody Malone and the U.S. men's gymnastics team compete in the team final. The Olympic swimming schedule features five finals, with U.S. backstroke specialist Ryan Murphy and breaststroker Lilly King highlighting the lineup. The U.S. women's basketball team plays for the first time at the 2024 Olympics, facing Japan.

•	The United States women's national soccer team defeated Germany 4-1 on Sunday in their most notable and emphatic victory under new manager Emma Hayes.
•	American fencer Lee Kiefer beat teammate Lauren Scruggs to win gold and silver in the final bout of the women's individual foil competition.
•	Simone Biles and the U.S. women's gymnastics team finished with 172.296 points, putting them more than five points ahead of Italy during Olympic qualifying, despite a hobbled Biles.
•	Organizers canceled the triathlon swimming training session for the second day in a row on Monday after heavy rain affected water quality levels in the Seine.

USA forward Sophia Smith is congratulated by Rose Lavelle and Samantha Coffey after scoring in the women's group B soccer match between the USA and Germany on July 28, 2024.

PASCAL GUYOT, AFP via Getty Images

🏅Want more news from Paris? Follow @USATODAYSports for on-the-ground updates and sign up for USA TODAY's daily Olympics newsletter, Chasing Gold.

'Stop the killings': Vigils honor Sonya Massey as calls for justice grow

Protests and vigils continued Sunday in remembrance of Sonya Massey, a Black woman whose fatal shooting by a white sheriff's deputy in her Illinois home has drawn national outrage. Activists declared Sunday a National Day of Mourning for Massey. About 350 people attended the Springfield rally, many wearing purple, Massey's favorite color. Austin Randolph, president of the Springfield NAACP, said there was "no excuse, no explanation, no reason'' for Massey's death. Read more

Demonstrators gather at Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago to protest the police killing of Sonya Massey on July 27, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.

Jim Vondruska, Getty Images

More news to know now

•	Presidential election odds narrow one week into Harris, Trump race.
•	Israel says Hezbollah rocket killed people, including children, at soccer field.
•	Where is the wildfire smoke? This map tracks entire U.S.
•	Hurricane season isn't over: Tropical disturbance spotted in Atlantic.
•	Time to play today's USA TODAY Crossword! Click here for Sally's expert analysis.

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

See the map: It's harder to vote in these states

In the wake of former President Donald Trump's lies about a stolen election in 2020, many state legislatures implemented new laws restricting voter accessibility. Passed in more than half of U.S. states, the laws are often part of sweeping bills that target multiple parts of the process. They mostly come from Republican-led legislatures. Supporters of the laws say they help improve the integrity of elections. Opponents have accused lawmakers of disenfranchising voters − especially Democratic-leaning groups. While some states are making it easier to vote, in many U.S. states it will be harder to vote in 2024 than it was in 2020. Read more

'No one is above the law': Biden calls for sweeping Supreme Court reforms

President Joe Biden called for major changes to the Supreme Court on Monday, including a constitutional amendment that would limit immunity for presidents, impose term limits for justices and stipulate an enforceable code of ethics. In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Biden wrote that "no one is above the law … Not the president of the United States. Not a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. No one." In July, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents cannot be prosecuted for "official acts" during their time in office. The court's ruling stemmed from a case concerning former President Donald Trump. Read more

Keep scrolling

•	Why are more adults not having children? New study may explain.
•	"Deadpool & Wolverine" pulverizes a slew of records with $205 million opening.
•	Paris Olympics organizers apologize after critics say "The Last Supper" was mocked.
•	The best bars in America in 2024: See USA TODAY's 27 favorite spots.
•	What I'm buying at the Nordstrom anniversary sale.

Two major meteor showers light up the night sky

You can soon witness two major meteor showers in the night sky, one of the few chances to catch two strong showers at the same time. The first is the Southern Delta Aquariids, which is set to peak Monday and Tuesday. The second is the Perseid meteor shower, which began July 14 and will continue to Sept. 1. Both meteor showers are relatively close to each other. The Southern Delta Aquariid meteors will appear near the constellation Aquarius in the southern sky, and the Perseids will radiate near the constellation Perseus in the Northern Hemisphere. Read more

Photo of the day: Iconic characters at Comic-Con 2024

Another Comic-Con is in the books for USA TODAY entertainment reporter Brian Truitt, who's just been to his 13th since first going in 2008, when he attended a panel for "Twilight." "When Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart hit the stage, you would have thought it was the second coming of Beatlemania," he writes. The event has grown bigger and better ever since. Here are Brian's favorite things from this year. Click here for more photos from the event.