Six months after the Capitol riot, Feds are still hunting suspects
Happy Wednesday, Daily Briefing readers!
Federal authorities are still pursuing some of the most violent rioters in the deadly Capitol assault of Jan. 6. Hurricane Elsa is roaring toward landfall in Florida. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. And, happy anniversary, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter! The longest-married presidential couple in American history celebrate 75 years of marriage.
It's Jane, with Wednesday's news.
🔵 New this morning: A USA TODAY investigation uncovered two dozen massage schools with alleged connections to prostitution or fraud, or both. Regulators sometimes find ways to go after the schools, but many slip through the cracks of a fragmented system.
👑 Princess Latifa was fleeing her father, the authoritarian ruler of Dubai, when her escape was thwarted. How she was found remained a mystery. Until now. A USA TODAY investigation finds the FBI played a key role.
💻 President Joe Biden wants to provide millions of Americans with high-speed internet. Here’s why it won’t be that easy.
🚨 The death toll in the Florida condo building collapse rose to 36 and 109 people remain unaccounted for as the rescue effort faces challenges from Elsa.
🏃🏽♀️ Sha'Carri Richardson will miss the Tokyo Olympics after USA Track & Field revealed that she has not been selected as a member of the 4x100 relay team.
🏀 'Those three deserve a lot of credit': How the Suns' Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton have become a perfect trio, says NBA writer Mark Medina.
🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear new ways the Biden administration will try to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.
A quick note: Today, you may notice something new: Several articles we link to in today's edition are marked “subscriber only,” and will require a digital subscription to read in full moving forward. While many of you are already USA TODAY subscribers (thank you!), we hope those of you who love this free newsletter and our content will help support our efforts to continue providing top-notch on-the-ground reporting. Want to help USA TODAY sustain quality journalism? Become a subscriber today.
Tropical Storm Elsa threatens Florida's northern Gulf Coast
Elsa weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm Wednesday as it threatened Florida's northern Gulf Coast after raking past the Tampa Bay region with gusty winds and heavy rain. Gov. Ron DeSantis said forecasts called for the storm to come ashore sometime between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. A hurricane warning was in effect for a long stretch of coastline, from Egmont Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay to the Steinhatchee River. “We ask that you please take it seriously,” DeSantis told reporters Tuesday. “This is not a time to joyride because we do have hazardous conditions out there.” There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in the Tampa Bay area.
Eric Adams wins tight NYC Democratic mayoral primary
Former sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia planned to release a statement Wednesday after retired NYPD captain and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams narrowly won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. The latest count showed him leading Garcia by 8,426 votes, or a little more than 1 percentage point, according to the Associated Press, which called the race for Adams, who declared victory Tuesday night. Adams is the heavy favorite to win the November general election and would be the city's second Black mayor.
What else people are reading:
🎤 If you thought you'd seen the last of the Golden Buzzer on "America's Got Talent" this season, think again.
🐻 A grizzly bear killed a person who was camping in western Montana early Tuesday after having wandered into the area, authorities said.
🍔 The American Customer Satisfaction Index released its list of best fast-food restaurants – Chick-fil-A took the top title for the seventh straight year.
📺 NBA Commissioner Adam Silver chimed in on ESPN’s turmoil involving anchors Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor. “It’s particularly unfortunate that two women in the industry are pitted against each other,” he said.
Feds arrest 535 in Capitol assault, but still hunting violent rioters
Federal authorities are still pursuing violent rioters who participated in the deadly Capitol assault, six months after supporters of former President Donald Trump clashed with law enforcement in a failed attempt to halt the certification of President Joe Biden's election. The FBI released 11 new videos showing rioters, some of them engaged in hand-to-hand combat with police. The videos were accompanied by a new appeal for the public's help in identifying those individuals. At least 535 people have been arrested as the criminal investigation has become the largest in U.S. history. In all, 140 officers were assaulted, including 80 from the U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
Happy 75th anniversary, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter
The longest-married presidential couple in American history, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary Wednesday. How did they do it? In a recent interview they offered some tips. "Every day there needs to be reconciliation and communication between the two spouses," the former president said. "We don't go to sleep with some remaining differences between us." And Rosalynn Carter noted the importance of common interests. "Jimmy and I are always looking for things to do together," she said. On the other hand, she noted, "Each (person) should have some space. That's really important."
NYC honors essential workers with ticker parade
While experts remain concerned about the delta variant, states are showing signs of recovery about a year and a half after the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the U.S. In New York City, essential workers will be honored with a ticker tape parade Wednesday. Mayor Bill de Blasio promised the celebration in April 2020 — the worst month of the pandemic in New York. The city’s increasing vaccination numbers and low rate of new infections make this a good time for the parade, the mayor said. The city last held a ticker tape parade in July 2019 to celebrate the U.S. women’s national soccer team’s World Cup win.
ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday
🔵 Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani have tied the knot. There were 40 guests at the intimate wedding, with Carson Daly serving as the officiant.
🔵 ‘America is exhausted’: I'm joining the Lincoln Project to make sure Republicans don't win Congress in 2022, writes opinion contributor Joe Trippi.
🔵 Britney Spears' denunciation of her “abusive” conservatorship has led to another dramatic change: Now her longtime lawyer wants to quit.
📸 The Cannes Film Festival is back! See Spike Lee, Jessica Chastain, Jodie Foster and more 📸
After being canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 74th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is back. This year's event is led by U.S. director Spike Lee, the first Black person to head the Cannes jury. Click here for our gallery of stars showing out.
Contributing: The Associated Press