Daily Briefing: 'Twas the morning of the debate
Americans will tune in this evening to watch President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump face off in a presidential debate. A leaked draft opinion hints at a promising Supreme Court decision for abortion rights advocates and USWNT star Alex Morgan won't be headed to the Paris Olympics.
🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. I already can't wait for "The Holiday Touchdown."
Smells like 2020
After an explosive first debate in 2020, no one knows how the showdown between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will shake out on Thursday.
CNN has rules in place that may keep the drama at bay, but the event could still lend insight into how the rest of the 2024 presidential election could unfold.
What will Trump and Biden say? Trump could try to pin Biden for being 81 years old (three years older than Trump's 78) and issues related to inflation and immigration. Biden is likely to press Trump on his criminal conviction and stance on abortion.
They're both seniors: Biden and Trump will become the oldest U.S. presidential candidates to ever spar in a debate.
Gen Z will be listening: These older candidates will be catering to America's youngest voting bloc, who are disillusioned by the electoral process, depleted by an epidemic of gun violence and motivated to protect reproductive rights. (And here's how to watch if you're a Tik-Toker without cable access).
USA TODAY will stream the debate on its YouTube channel. Use our presidential debate bingo card to play while you watch.
Draft opinion shows unexpected win for abortion rights
The Supreme Court may be about to allow emergency abortions in Idaho, according to a copy of the pending opinion obtained by Bloomberg News. The version that appeared briefly on the court’s website would reinstate a lower court order that had allowed hospitals to perform abortions needed to protect the health of the pregnant person. While the litigation would continue, the opinion would still be a win for the Biden administration, which had challenged Idaho's strict abortion ban. Read more
More news to know now
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Which nation spends the most on nuclear weapons?
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Six years after a wildfire destroyed Paradise, California, a new blaze flares nearby.
It's game time! Play today’s USA TODAY Crossword. Our expert Sally breaks it down.
What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.
Why are people suddenly getting COVID-19 this summer?
The latest rise in early summer COVID-19 cases shows how the virus has persisted four years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The upticks from the latest sub-variants are nowhere near levels the U.S. experienced in 2020, or when the omicron variant began to drive cases and deaths across the globe in 2021. Cases are driven by consistent upticks in a collection of sub-variants known as FLiRT, named for the mutations’ technical names. Read more
Who pays for space junk injuries?
When a Florida family filed a claim against NASA over "space junk" that fell through their roof earlier this year, it launched a potentially precedent-setting question: Who is liable when debris from space causes damage or injury? Nobody was hurt when a cylindrical object that was part of a pallet of used batteries from the International Space Station came sailing through Alejandro Otero and his family's roof in what their attorney called a "near miss," but the claim for a more than $80,000 includes uninsured property damage and emotional anguish. Read more
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Kenya Moore is not returning to "Real Housewives of Atlanta."
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Alex Morgan left off USWNT roster for Paris Olympics
Alex Morgan, who is the USWNT’s active leading goal scorer and fifth on its all-time list, was left off the 18-player roster for the Paris Olympics. NWSL scoring leaders Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Jaedyn Smith, Trinity Rodman and Crystal Dunn are listed as the forwards. Morgan's exclusion will surely come as a shock to many, given she's been both a cornerstone of the USWNT and one of the world's best players for more than a decade. Read more
Photo of the day: Paris Hilton testifies before Congress
Paris Hilton testified on Wednesday before the House Ways and Means committee about the modernization of the country's foster care system. Hilton, who welcomed her son Phoenix with husband Carter Reum last January, said she is "here to be a voice for the children whose voices can't be heard." 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.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Presidential debate, Biden, Trump, abortion, COVID, Olympics: Daily Briefing
