Coach K on retirement: 'A celebration'
Happy Thursday, Daily Briefing readers! Now that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opponents have reached a deal that will lead to the ouster of the longtime Israeli leader, what does that mean for the United States?
And, it'll be all eyes on Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski when he speaks to the media after emotionally announcing his retirement.
Steve and Jane are here with Thursday's news.
💉 New this morning: They work on the frontlines. They were first in line for shots. But a surprising number of hospital workers are refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
👑 Buckingham Palace is facing claims of decades of systemic discrimination against people of color – and with documentation to back it up.
🎾 Naomi Osaka is trying to manage a health condition. She asked for a reasonable accommodation and instead got threats, writes USA TODAY Opinion contributor Scott Douglas Gerber.
🎓 'We cannot stay silent': A high school valedictorian in Texas went off script and used her graduation speech to speak out against the state's newly-signed abortion law.
🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, listen to President Joe Biden’s plan to get 70% of adults vaccinated by July 4. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.
Here's what's happening today:
Duke basketball's Coach K to speak after announcing retirement
Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski will retire after this coming season, ending a wildly successful run that began more than 40 years ago and included more than 1,000 wins and five national championships. Krzyzewski, 74, is the winningest coach in college basketball history with 1,170 wins. Krzyzewski released a statement Wednesday night that said, in part, "My family and I view today as a celebration. Our time at both West Point and Duke has been beyond amazing and we are thankful and honored." The Hall of Fame coach will hold a news conference Thursday at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Meat producer JBS expects to resume production at all plants after cyberattack
JBS, the world's largest meat processing company that fell victim to a weekend cyberattack, said it expects to resume production at all its plants Thursday and will be running at "close to full capacity" across its global operations. In a statement late Wednesday, the FBI attributed the attack to REvil, a Russian-speaking gang that has made some of the largest ransomware demands on record in recent months. The attack was the second in a month on critical U.S. infrastructure. In May, hackers shut down operation of the Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S. fuel pipeline, for nearly a week.
What else people are reading:
🔵 “What happened to Aiden is a devastating tragedy": The reward for information leading to an arrest in the shooting of Aiden Leos, 6, is up to $450,000.
🔵 Real estate rush: If you own a home in the top 10 metropolitan U.S. housing markets, it may be worth a lot more than what you paid for.
🔵 "Don't do what I did": A 17-year-old girl who pushed a bear away to protect her dogs advises others to do something different.
🔵 No more "From The Desk of Donald J. Trump": The blog the former president launched just a month ago has already shut down.
🔵 "It's not black and white": Ricky Martin spoke of the lasting effects of an interview with Barbara Walters, where the journalist asked him to address his sexuality.
Kroger to offer $1M prizes, a year of free groceries to boost vaccinations
Kroger is offering people who get their COVID-19 vaccine shot the chance to win $1 million or free groceries for a year. Starting Thursday, the grocery giant is offering five weekly drawings, ultimately awarding five $1 million prizes and a free year's groceries to 50 other winners. "The Community Immunity Giveaway" is being done in collaboration with the Biden administration. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden unveiled plans to partner with 1,000 Black-owned barbershops and salons to provide "Shots at the Shop" to promote the nationwide vaccination effort.
Newsmakers in their own words: Fauci's emails get released
Multiple media organizations obtained hundreds of emails sent by Dr. Anthony Fauci in the early days of the pandemic, reflecting the thoughts of a patient but weary man who was flabbergasted by his overnight celebrity.
For more on Fauci's emails, check out our Just the FAQs video.
Michelle Wie West makes return to U.S. Women's Open
Michelle Wie West's road back to the U.S. Women's Open was a long one with detours for marriage, motherhood and injuries. The 2014 champion is set to play her first Open in three years starting Thursday at the Olympic Club, just a short drive from her new home base in the Bay Area. In her last U.S. Open in 2018, Wie West tied for 10th place at Shoal Creek, and her lack of recent success makes her a long shot at this weekend's Open.
Also happening on Thursday:
🏀 The defending champs are on the brink of elimination: The Phoenix Suns can close out their first-round series against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers if they can win Game 6 at Staples Center in LA. The Suns won Game 5 by 30 points.
🚀 Space inspiration: A new documentary, "Woman in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek and the Remaking of NASA" (streaming Thursday on Paramount+), explores how that mission became a reality and how the TV series — and star Nichelle Nichols — influenced activists, actors and even NASA astronauts.
Congress to introduce legislation to protect travelers from scams
On Thursday, lawmakers will introduce legislation to protect travelers from online and airline scams. The Protecting Consumers from Travel Fraud Act will be introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Steven Daines, R-Mont. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Americans lost more than $74.2 million from travel scams since the start of 2020. The legislation aims to deter online travel booking scams by requiring the FTC to update its website with information on how to identify and avoid them, as well as offer policy recommendations for their prevention.
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published Wednesday
🎓Wonderful gesture: A shoe policy almost kept a high school senior from walking at his graduation. Then a teacher stepped in.
🏫"Significant and systemic noncompliance": The U.S. Department of Education is canceling its recognition of an accrediting agency that signed off on a college that didn't seem to have students or professors.
🏌️♂️Jack Nicklaus speaks out: The legendary golfer hopes Naomi Osaka gets the help she needs and encourages the media to show understanding.
📸 Photo of the day: NHL player gives a thumbs-up sign after a big hit 📸
During the Montreal Canadiens' 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 1 of their second-round series, Montreal forward Jake Evans was taken off the ice on a stretcher after he took a brutal hit from the Jets' Mark Scheifele. Evans laid motionless before moving his arms as he exited the ice.
Head here for more of the best photos from the 2021 NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Contributing: The Associated Press