• Joe Biden: A group of 24 former Democratic U.S. House and Senate members have released an open letter urging Joe Biden to allow for the possibility of a different presidential nominee. Learn more.
• Alec Baldwin trial: A New Mexico judge dismissed Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter case on Friday over withheld evidence. The actor was on trial over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. Read more here.
• Biden's gaffe: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's reaction to President Joe Biden mistakenly introducing him as "Putin" Thursday's NATO summit in Washington has gone viral. Watch it. Read more about Biden's other mistakes below.
• Free Louisiana movement: A new political movement was launched in Louisiana, campaigning for the state to leave the United States and become a fully independent nation. Learn more.
• Chinese drone films Everest summit: A video shows a Chinese drone's overflight of Mount Everest from base camp to the 29,032-foot summit. See the footage.
• Altman opens Worldcoin to developers: Sam Altman's cryptocurrency venture Worldcoin is allowing developers to access the project for the first time. Find out more.
• Tax holiday in the US: Numerous states will hold tax holidays this summer, allowing shoppers to save on the cost of states' sales taxes during specific periods. Here is every state-level tax holiday across the U.S. in summer 2024.
• In the ongoing war in Ukraine, Ukraine seized a cargo ship that it said was illegally exporting agricultural products via the Russian-annexed region of Crimea.

Biden's Press Conference Fails as Multiple Democrats Say 'Step Aside'

TL/DR: Biden's press conference on Thursday was considered a pivotal moment for his 2024 bid amid increasing pressure from his party to end his reelection campaign.

The rundown: Three more Democratic lawmakers have asked President Joe Biden to end his 2024 campaign following his high-stakes NATO press conference on Thursday evening. Find out who they are.

Why it matters: While Biden delivered a more reassuring performance during his press conference in Washington D.C. on Thursday, the president still made a major blunder when he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump." Before the press conference, Biden also accidentally referred to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy as "President Putin" before correcting himself. Here's how NATO leaders reacted to these gaffes.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Joe Biden Press Conference Reactions Highlight Democratic Party Divisions

What happens now? CBS News reports that dozens of Democratic lawmakers will issue statements calling for Biden to end his campaign within 48 hours. Biden will be confirmed as his party's 2024 presidential nominee at the Democratic National Committee in Chicago in August.

Boeing Whistleblower: Mechanics Fear Flying on the Planes They Built

TL/DR: Santiago Paredes says he reported quality control issues at Spirit AeroSystems despite pushback from superiors who wanted to hide the problems.

Employees involved in constructing aircraft fuselages for Boeing's largest supplier have expressed fears about flying on the planes they helped build, Santiago Paredes, who worked at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas, revealed in an exclusive interview with Newsweek.

Why it matters: Paredes, who spent over a decade as an inspector and team leader, left Spirit in 2022 after repeatedly warning superiors about quality control failures. He said he faced demotion and relocation within the company after raising concerns. A lawsuit filed by a group of Spirit's shareholders accuses the company of widespread quality failures and alleges that the company attempted to cover up serious defects in parts supplied to Boeing, thus exposing shareholders to financial losses. Paredes said he often found up to 200 defects on parts being prepared for shipment to Boeing. The company fired its CEO last year after a series of quality lapses.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Boeing's 70 Percent Drop in Sales Blamed on 'Corporate Hubris'

What happens now? Paredes remains skeptical about the changes, believing that things will not change within the company even if it will soon be officially back under Boeing's umbrella. He pointed to a culture where mistakes were "normalized." Paredes said it got to the point that a manager ordered him in writing to undercount the number of mistakes to keep Boeing happy essentially.

How to Watch the Republican National Convention

TL/DR: With multiple viewing options available, audiences can stay informed and engaged with the proceedings, speeches, and decisions shaping the future of the Republican Party and the nation.

The rundown: All eyes will be on Milwaukee as the 2024 Republican National Convention kicks off next week. Donald Trump is poised to unveil his highly anticipated vice-presidential pick, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle in the upcoming election. Here's how you can watch the convention.

Why it matters: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will host the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum. The selection of Milwaukee is strategic, as Wisconsin is considered a key swing state that could play a pivotal role in the upcoming presidential election. This four-day event will feature speeches from prominent party members, including the presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Donald Trump Event Hints at VP Announcement

What happens now? The 2024 Republican National Convention will occur from July 15 to July 18, 2024.

Migrant Citizenship Speeds Up Under Biden

TL/DR: The number of new migrants naturalized during Biden's first three years was around 2.66 million, compared to about 2.31 million during the first three years of Trump's presidency.

The rundown: Official data shows that the speed of processing immigrant naturalizations has risen sharply under President Joe Biden, increasing the number of new citizens eligible to vote in upcoming elections. Here are the measures taken to expedite processing.

Why it matters: Immigration is among the top issues for voters ahead of the November election. Biden's critics say he has taken too soft an approach to stopping new arrivals illegally crossing the border. Data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shows that the average processing time for the N-400 application form used in naturalizations fell from 11.5 months in fiscal year 2021 to 6.1 months in 2023 and has averaged five months over the first eight months of fiscal year 2024, which started on October 1, 2023.

Read more in-depth coverage:
U.S. Northern Border Crossings Break Record In 2024

What happens now? Zo Tobi, spokesperson for the grassroots Movement Voter Project anti-Trump group, told Newsweek that “immigrant voters could tip the 2024 elections—for Democrats and against Trump & MAGA—in the most critical swing states and districts.” Approximately 7.4 million immigrants are eligible to apply for citizenship but haven't done so, according to a January 2024 report from the American Immigration Council.

Map Shows Where Chinese Ships Spotted off U.S. Coast

TL/DR: The Chinese vessels were sailing in international waters, but within the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the Coast Guard said.

The rundown: The United States Coast Guard spotted four Chinese naval ships near an archipelago in Alaska over the weekend, at least the fourth encounter between the two sides near the "Last Frontier" state in recent years. Here's what happened.

Why it matters: China's military ships were sailing in the Bering Sea on Saturday and Sunday, north of the Amchitka Pass and the Amukta Pass of the Aleutian Islands, according to the Coast Guard's statement, which did not identify the types of Chinese naval vessels in detected. The islands lie between the south of the Bering Sea and the north of the Pacific Ocean. The Amchitka Pass is a 50-mile-wide strait, while the Amukta Pass is 43 miles wide. The Bering Sea is the doorway to the strategic Arctic region, separating Russia's Far East and Alaska.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Chinese Navy Ships in Close Encounter off U.S.

What happens now? It was not the first time China had sent an armada to the Alaska coast. In the third encounter last August, 11 Russian and Chinese ships sailed close to the Aleutian Islands, where they were monitored by four U.S. destroyers and maritime patrol aircraft.

Kevin O'Leary Raises Red Flag About Housing Market in 3 States

The housing markets in Texas, Florida and Tennessee face pressure as homeowners with low mortgage rates are staying put and are reluctant to put their homes on the market at a time when borrowing costs for home loans are high, investor Kevin O'Leary told Newsweek.

The U.S. Federal Reserve began hiking interest rates more than two years ago in response to rising inflation that at one point soared to four-decade highs. The move contributed to a jump in mortgage rates to their highest levels since the turn of the century.

"That was unprecedented in terms of the pace," O'Leary, one of the stars of ABC's hit show Shark Tank, said in an interview.