Monday, August 5, 2024

Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting are women

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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Mon Aug 5 2024

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Olympic organizers said there is no doubt boxers at the center of gender attacks are women. Category 1 Hurricane Debby moves closer to Florida's Big Bend on Monday. Sharks in Florida waters pose a small, but very real, threat.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. I could add my own "sad to announce I didn't make the Olympics team" video to the mix.

Boxers at the center of gender attacks will fight for medals

Algerian fighter Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-Ting are guaranteed to win Olympic medals. The two boxers are headed to semifinals this week after enduring jabs both in and outside of the ring in Paris, as outsiders throw punches against their eligibility.

The background: Both athletes have faced draconian public scrutiny, relentless media attention and an avalanche of abuse on social media platforms because they were allowed to compete in Paris despite being disqualified from last year's world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for failing to meet gender-eligibility criteria.

•	There's never been any doubt these two boxers were women, the IOC said, raising concerns over the veracity of gender testing and urging the world "to respect them as women, as human beings."
•	Opinion from USA TODAY Sports: The IOC should have known that the IBA, which has been completely thrown out of the Olympics because it is a corrupted, fully-owned subsidiary of the Russian government, leveraged a highly transphobic atmosphere as revenge.
•	And with Khelif now just two more wins away from a gold medal, she has asked the world to stop the "bullying" and pay attention to what matters: the sport.

Khelif will compete in the semifinals Tuesday and Lin will compete in the semifinals on Wednesday. Click here for live coverage of competition at the Paris Games for Monday, Aug. 5.

And here's more news to know on Monday:

•	Trump has a Vance problem.
•	Mexican survivors of an El Paso Walmart shooting share letters five years on.
•	How secretary of state elections became the new battleground for election deniers.
•	How much should we talk about the election with our kids?
•	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.

Debby strengthens to Category 1 hurricane

Floridians are bracing Monday for the state's first hurricane strike this year in a season that forecasters say could become one of the worst on record. Hurricane Debby could produce life-threatening storm surge and rain totals that could reach 30 inches in parts of the Southeast by week's end. Read more

Harris' VP options in limbo ahead of imminent decision

News of Harris' pick for vice president could break early this week, after she met six finalists over the weekend. She's likely weighing the same factors: who can help her win, who shares her values, who would she work well with, who is qualified to step in as president if necessary. The Harris campaign has announced a swing state tour with her VP pick starting Tuesday in Philadelphia. Read more

Colleges keep closing with no warning

Colleges fold all the time. But metrics show they have been dissolving at a faster pace in recent decades, especially after the 2008 financial crisis. A crisis in college financial aid this year – which will have downstream effects on enrollment, especially at smaller schools – could make things worse. Read more

Keep scrolling

•	Buying Taylor Swift tickets at face value?
•	Zac Efron was hospitalized after a swimming accident in Ibiza.
•	What is the medal count at the Paris Games on Monday?
•	Would your cat survive the "Quiet Place"?
•	The alphabet song may sound new to you.

More people, more sharks

For the more than 7 billion people in the world – about half of whom live within about 100 miles of the ocean – the number of shark attacks is vanishingly small: about 60 bites and an average of six fatalities per year. You're more likely to die from a lightning strike than suffer a serious shark attack. That said, Florida leads the world in shark attacks.

Photo of the day: It's 🥇 for Snoop and Martha

Longtime besties Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg had front-row seats for the equestrian team dressage event in Versailles. The dynamic duo dressed for the occasion, without gold medals but plenty of glam.

Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart attend the dressage final in Versailles, France, on Aug. 3, 2024.

Getty Images

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.