Daily Briefing: Who hit the dam?
It was not immediately clear what — or who — caused the destruction to a major dam and power plant early Tuesday in a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine. Also in the news: Prince Harry is present in a London court Tuesday to testify after missing day one of a case he's bringing against a media publisher, and we take a look at one Illinois town that symbolizes the nation's evolving abortion access landscape.
🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Pride Month sales are here — shop the best deals on clothing, food and more.
Now, here we go with Tuesday's news.
Ukraine and Russia each accuse other of being responsible for dam incident
Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russian forces of blowing up a major dam and hydroelectric power station in a part of southern Ukraine that Russia controls, sending water gushing from the breached facility and risking massive flooding.
Ukraine and Russia have previously accused each other of targeting the dam with attacks, and last October Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy predicted that Russia would destroy the dam in order to cause a flood.
Officials have warned a severe drop in the reservoir has the potential to deprive the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant of crucial cooling.
The Ukrainian army has claimed to be gaining ground amid Russian claims that the long-awaited Ukraine counteroffensive may be underway.
Ukraine has revealed very little about how and when it intends to recapture territory claimed by the Russians since the war started, living by the motto that “plans love silence.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence files to run for president in 2024
Former Vice President Mike Pence is expected to publicly launch his 2024 presidential campaign with a Wednesday rally in Des Moines, Iowa. The former vice president has been widely expected to launch a run for the GOP nomination. He has been laying the groundwork for a presidential campaign, making regular visits to Iowa and New Hampshire – both key early-voting states. Pence has aimed to distinguish himself from some of his major Republican rivals, including Donald Trump, targeting the former president’s role in the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Read more
Tim Scott was booed on The View over the DeSantis fight with Disney, defends GOP on race.
Column: Nikki Haley’s grotesque, and wrong, attempt to link trans youth to suicide among teen girls.
More news to know now
The FDA seeks to ease cancer drug shortage with China-made imports.
''Congress must investigate further'': The GOP House will bring contempt proceedings in a FBI dispute.
An American destroyer made a close call with a Chinese warship: Was it a ''bullying'' incident?
Carbon dioxide soared to a new record in Earth's atmosphere as climate change continues unabated.
On today's 5 Things podcast, USA TODAY Consumer Tech Reporter Brett Molina looks at Apple’s new augmented reality headset. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.
What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.
Prince Harry present in court after skipping day one of phone-hacking case
Prince Harry arrived Tuesday morning at a London court ahead of his testimony against a tabloid publisher he accuses of phone hacking and other unlawful snooping. Harry has made a mission of holding the U.K. press to account for what he sees as its hounding of him and his family. The 38-year-old son of King Charles III will be the first British royal since the 19th century to enter a courtroom witness box. He will face cross-examination by a lawyer for the defendant, Mirror Group Newspapers. The Duke of Sussex's highly anticipated showdown against the publisher kicked off Monday without him present in court — and the judge was not happy. Read more
How one quiet Illinois college town became the symbol of abortion rights in America
A year ago, there were no clinics in Carbondale, Illinois, a former coal-country railroad junction turned college town. In the months since Roe fell, few places in America have experienced the court’s radical redrawing of abortion access as intimately as some small, blue-state towns near red-state borders. States moved to restrict or ban abortions, and some clinics moved or opened anew in these border towns. Now, Carbondale hosts the state’s southernmost clinics, and is the closest destination for abortion for 1.2 million women who live across parts of the South, one researcher estimated. The city’s new role has drawn both support and opposition – a change that USA TODAY has chronicled over much of the past year. Read more
A year after the fall of Roe v. Wade, abortion access is reshuffled on state lines.
Just for subscribers:
A healthy 17-year-old had a stroke. Doctors think vaping was the cause.
Robocalls, out-of-state messages flood Arizona's hotline to report ''inappropriate'' curriculum.
Rebuilding is set to begin at a historic movie ranch leveled by a wildfire.
Tommy Bahama marks its 30th anniversary with an idea that began on a Florida beach.
These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here.
Apple unveils Vision Pro
Apple unveiled its vision for how computing will change in the future. On Monday, Apple announced the Vision Pro mixed reality headset at its Cupertino, California, headquarters. The headset incorporates both augmented and virtual reality, requiring wearers only use their eyes, hands and voice to control. The Vision Pro includes a three-dimensional interface where apps appear to pop up within the room you occupy, while also still viewing your surroundings if you choose. A knob called the digital crown, also found on Apple Watch, controls how immersed users want to feel while wearing the headset. The product will launch early next year for $3,499. Read more
Quick hits
Review: HBO's ''The Idol'' is sexist, gratuitous, exploitative ... and achingly boring.
''Bling Empire'' star Anna Shay has died of a stroke at 62.
Taylor Swift enlists Paramore's Hayley Williams and Fall Out Boy for her ''Speak Now (Taylor's Version).''
Travis Kelce attempted to hop on mic during the Chiefs' visit to the White House.
The James Beard Awards made history with the first Indigenous woman winner.
Photo of the day: D-Day 79th Anniversary
D-Day, the largest land, sea, and air invasion ever attempted, happened on June 6, 1944 – 79 years ago. Its impact resonates today. The invasion of German-held western Europe by the Allies – primarily the U.S., Great Britain and Canada – didn’t go according to plan, but the offensive strained an already weakened Germany and helped bring about the end of World War II less than a year later. Read more
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 or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.
Associated Press contributed reporting.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Daily Briefing: Who hit the dam?
