US airman dies after self-immolation
A U.S. Air Force member died after setting himself on fire in an apparent protest of the war in Gaza. After months of delays, Sweden was finally approved to join NATO. And why is treatment for long COVID still out of reach?
👋Hello, pals! Laura Davis here. Monday again. How about some news?
But first: Shaq to the rescue! 🏀👟 Superheroes don’t always wear capes – sometimes they wear big sneakers. How Shaquille O'Neal saved the day for a teenager struggling to find size 23 shoes.
US airman dies after setting himself on fire at Israeli Embassy
After self-immolating in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force has died of his injuries. Aaron Bushnell, 25, of San Antonio, lit himself on fire in front of the embassy on Sunday afternoon. He was taken to a hospital, where he died, officials said. Authorities would not confirm whether the self-immolation was an act of protest, but a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Bushnell began livestreaming to Twitch as he approached the embassy, declaring that he "will no longer be complicit in genocide." Protests in support of Palestinian rights and against U.S. military support for Israel have been widespread since Israel launched its invasion of Gaza in retaliation for Hamas' deadly surprise attack on Oct. 7. 👉 Everything we know.
Live updates: Israeli military presents War Cabinet with plans to invade Rafah.
Sweden clears final hurdle to join NATO
After months of delays and diplomatic wrangling, Hungary’s parliament voted Monday to ratify Sweden’s bid to join NATO. The vote was the last major hurdle to Sweden joining the military alliance.
How we got here: Historically neutral Sweden applied to join NATO at the same time as Finland, in May 2022, and Finland became NATO's 31st member in April. Sweden's application was held up by objections from Turkey and Hungary. The countries had reservations after Sweden's security policy shift in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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Republican National Committee chair resigns
Clearing the way for former President Donald Trump and his allies to more firmly seize control of the party and its finances, Ronna McDaniel formally announced her resignation Monday as chair of the Republican National Committee. Her announcement pretty much declared Trump the presumptive nominee after his big win Saturday in the South Carolina primary. Trump has already nominated Michael Whatley, chair of the North Carolina state Republican Party, to replace McDaniel, and has picked his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to be a co-chair.
Haley's problem: Nikki Haley, who continues to oppose Trump in the primaries, said Trump wants to take over the RNC so he can exercise control of its money − and pay his massive legal bills. 👉 A closer look at the effects of the resignation.
#️⃣ See the numbers: How close is Trump to securing the GOP nomination?
Trump appeals $454 million loss in New York civil fraud case.
Will Fani Willis be removed from Trump's election fraud case?
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Why does treatment for long COVID remain out of reach?
In many ways, the pandemic isn’t over for millions of Americans. It may never be. They have long COVID, a condition characterized by any combination of 200 lingering symptoms, some of which, like loss of taste and smell, are familiar from initial infections, and some totally alien, like utter exhaustion.
Disabled by COVID: Federal estimates suggest at least 16 million Americans have long COVID, and perhaps 4 million of them are disabled by it. Patient advocates and doctors say the pace of government-funded research has been too slow and too small to address a problem of this magnitude. 🦠 A closer look at the efforts.
A break from the news
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Laura L. Davis is an audience editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aaron Bushnell dies, Sweden to join NATO, long COVID: Monday's news
