Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Culture war in the Supreme Court

Supreme Court skeptical of Colorado's ban on conversion therapy. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌  ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
Read in browser

eNewspaper   |    Crosswords   |   Horoscopes

 

The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Wed Oct 8 2025

 

Nicole Fallert Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Good morning!🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. USA TODAY staff want you to read these banned books.

Quick look at Wednesday's news:

The Supreme Court is diving back into the culture wars.
If the U.S. government sells your student loan to the private market, would you even notice?
Is adult summer camp the new way to make friendships?

Supreme Court skeptical of Colorado's ban on conversion therapy

The  Supreme Court on Tuesday debated whether Colorado's ban on "conversion therapy" for gay or transgender minors violates the free speech rights of a licensed counselor.

Takeaway from the arguments: The majority of the justices seemed sympathetic to a counselor's claim that the ban violates her free speech rights.

Lawyers sparred over whether conversion therapy is effective. One side brought up the psychological scars carried by gay people who were subject to "conversion therapy." The other argued states can't "censor" conversations between therapists and patients struggling with same-sex attraction or gender identity.
What's at stake for minors:  State officials also say the evidence shows trying to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity doesn't work and can lead to depression, anxiety, loss of faith and suicidality.
Celebrities outspoken about the controversial treatment: From Bowen Yang to Miley Cyrus, these big names have opened up about their own experiences with conversion therapy.

News Supreme Court Conversion Therapy

Protesters outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

Jack Gruber, Jack Gruber-USA TODAY via Imagn Images

A potential hole in the James Comey indictment

Former FBI director James Comey is scheduled to be arraigned and to enter a plea Wednesday just outside Washington. But there could be potential snag with his indictment, which alleges two counts of lying to Congress and obstructing an official proceeding. One former Justice Department official, Ed Whelan, says there's "a fatal legal flaw" in Comey's Sept. 25 indictment because the department lacked the legal authority to appoint White House official Lindsey Halligan as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Halligan was the only prosecutor to sign off on the grand jury indictment.

More news to know now

A landlord says mail wasn't delivered because she is Black.
Frost and freeze alerts on the way.
These Latina midwives merge cultural wisdom with modern care.
A Colorado man used hundreds of thousands of dollars intended for youth hockey for personal profit.

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

Your flight is OK (for now)

As the government shutdown drags on, travelers may start to worry about how it will impact travel plans. Transportation Security Administration officers and Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers are considered essential employees, which means they're supposed to work without pay during the shutdown, with promises of receiving back-pay from the government once funding is restored. Impacts on air travel have been negligible so far. But the longer the situation goes on, disruptions seem more likely.

Could your student loans be for sale?

The Trump administration is considering selling part of the federal government's $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio to the private market, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to USA TODAY. Lenders routinely sell loans like mortgages to banks, mutual funds and other large investors to free up money to issue new loans. But federal student loans could be different because the U.S. government provides protections that private companies may not, experts said. If your federal student loan is sold to a private investor, the first thing you may notice is you're sending your payments someplace new. Here's what else to know.

Today's talkers

What LeBron James' "decision" means for the Lakers.
Read the shocking backstory of a "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star.
What would you do if Taylor Swift wrote a poem about you?
Tear-jerker: This dog lead a deputy to an 86-year-old grandma who was missing and injured.

What happens at an 'adult sleepaway camp'?

USA TODAY's Youth Mental Health Fellow Rachel Hale spent a weekend at Camp Social — a luxury, all-women adult sleepaway camp in the Poconos — where the tagline is "99% arrive solo, 100% leave as friends." And in the spirit of field reporting, she said yes to everything (including a 7:30 a.m. water slide plunge). What she found? Women come from as far as Egypt and Colombia. Some are camp veterans. Others were first-timers. And in a post-pandemic world defined by digital-induced loneliness, these women seemed genuinely interested in making friends.

IMG_7706_SnapseedCopy.jpg

Returning campers Cassie Rudd, 32, Maddie Martino, 29 and Jocelyn Benson, 31, met at Camp Social in 2023.

Rachel Hale

Photo of the day: Yankees stay alive

Aaron Judge hit a towering three-run homer in the fourth and Jazz Chisholm scorched a tie-breaking shot in the fifth, capping a comeback from a five-run deficit, and the New York Yankees staved off elimination with a 9-6 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the American League Division Series. MLB's playoff brings a quadrupleheader Wednesday.

Mlb Playoffs Toronto Blue Jays At New York Yankees

Aaron Judge flips his bat after hitting a three-run home run in the fourth inning of Game 3.

Wendell Cruz, Imagn 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.

TOP STORIES

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi looks on as she testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 7, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Bondi accused Democrats of "slander" against President Trump. Sen. Dick Durbin complained about her "refusal to answer the most basic questions."

President Donald Trump is flanked by Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz, U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while making an announcement on autism at the White House in Washington, D.C., on September 22, 2025.
 

What to know: the shutdown and 'health care for illegal immigrants'

 

Who gets access to Medicaid and subsidized health insurance – and who doesn't – is at the center of the government shutdown.

Republican candidate for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District Matt Van Epps talks with attendees before a debate with other candidates at CabaRay Showroom in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Sept. 5, 2025.
 

Trump-backed candidate wins primary for Tennessee special election

 

Matt Van Epps won the GOP primary for the Tennessee special election to fill the U.S. House seat left vacant by former Republican Rep. Mark Green.

Dwayne Johnson speaks during "The Smashing Machine" BAFTA screening at The Robin Williams Center on Oct. 2, 2025 in New York City.
 

Dwayne Johnson reacts to 'The Smashing Machine' box office flop

 

Dwayne "The Rock'" Johnson has addressed the underwhelming opening weekend box office performance for his new film "The Smashing Machine."

Zach Bryan performs to a sold-out crowd of over 112,000 people at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Sept. 27, 2025.
 

Zach Bryan calls out ICE in snippet of new song

 

Country star Zach Bryan, a U.S. Navy veteran, dropped a snippet that seemingly addresses American politics: "The fading of the red, white, and blue."

Tim McGraw, left, and Faith Hill attend the 16th annual Academy of Country Music Honors at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Aug. 23, 2023.
 

Tim McGraw honors wife Faith Hill for anniversary: 'Girl of my dreams'

 

Tim McGraw is still head over heels for Faith Hill, paying tribute to his longtime wife in a social media post for their 29th wedding anniversary.

USA TODAY's The Excerpt podcast
 

PODCAST: The president's controversial remarks about furloughed workers

 

USA TODAY's daily news podcast, The Excerpt, brings you a curated mix of the most important headlines seven mornings a week.

USA TODAY
 

Download USA TODAY's app to get to the heart of news

 

Our app gives you award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, eNewspaper and more.

Try our free Quick Cross!

Test your best time on our miniature crossword or check out one of our other games.

Newsletters   |    eNewspaper   |   Crosswords

Follow Us

Problem viewing email? View in browser

LiveIntent Logo AdChoices Logo

No comments:

Post a Comment