Ida brings stunning flooding to New York, New Jersey
Welcome to Thursday, Daily Briefing readers! It was a busy night for news as Ida brought shocking, massive flooding to New York City and other areas in the Northeast and, in a split decision, the Supreme Court declined to block Texas' controversial abortion law.
Steve is here with Thursday's news.
🌎 New this morning:Learn how a vision for the 9/11 Memorial blossomed into a piece of New York's everyday fabric.
🗽 Did 9/11 permanently change life in the United States?More Americans think so than ever before.
🌏 "Haunted by the choices we had to make": Describing the evacuation mayhem in Kabul, one U.S. official said embassy staff sent out credentials to vetted Afghans so they could get through Taliban checkpoints. But that plan quickly collapsed in chaos.
🥗 "No vaccine nor mask will save us": Jonathan Neman, the co-founder and CEO of Sweetgreen, faced backlash over a comment about vaccines and masks and connecting individuals who are obese and overweight with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
⚾ Moving on: Washington Nationals Vice President Bob Boone, who has been with the club since 2004, has informed the team he is resigning rather than comply with the organization’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to a report.
📺 Drama on "America's Got Talent": Two Golden Buzzers managed to avoid elimination in a shocking reveal Wednesday night. Here are the first finalists.
🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear what the Supreme Court is saying after refusing to block Texas’ six-week abortion ban. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.
What else is happening today:
Ida brings stunning, massive flooding to NYC, the Northeast
Relentless rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida and the prolific flooding that came with it sent New York – including New York City – and New Jersey into states of emergency early Thursday, as the storm carried north. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy each declared states of emergency late Wednesday as the National Weather Service also warned water-logged New Jersey was at risk for tornadoes. At least eight people have died in flooding in the two states. Dozens of photos and videos on social media showed water pouring into New York City's subways. The service was extremely limited on all lines due to the weather, the Metropolitan Transit Authority announced. Other videos showed flooded streets and water pouring into basement apartments. Jarring footage showed water inside Newark Liberty International Airport and water rushing into baggage facilities. The airport announced Wednesday night that it had suspended all flight activity.
Supreme Court declines to block controversial Texas abortion law
Many people will wake up Thursday to the news that the Supreme Court denied an effort by abortion rights groups to halt a Texas law that bans women from having the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy. The 5-4 ruling, handed down one minute before midnight Wednesday, came a day after the law went into effect. The court declined to block enforcement of the law, the most restrictive in the nation, over the objection of Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberal associate justices – Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan. In an effort to steer around the high court's abortion precedent, the Texas law encourages private citizens to sue anyone who helps a woman receive an abortion after a heartbeat is detected. The majority's opinion noted that enforcement mechanism as part of its reason for not stepping in and stressed that its decision was not "based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas's law."
More from Texas
🔵 What to know: Looking at the Texas abortion law that bans the procedure once heartbeat is detected.
🔵 'We're going to help everybody that we can': This is what a Texas clinic's final hours ahead of the abortion ban were like.
🔵 Planning ahead: Some Texas residents are stockpiling contraceptives and pregnancy tests.
📸 Photo of the day: Caldor Fire continues to scorch California📸
Fire crews are hoping better weather conditions over the next several days will allow them to get a better handle on the massive Caldor Fire burning miles from scenic tourist destination Lake Tahoe. The blaze has continued to spread east, but crews have been able to corral it just south of Lake Tahoe.
As the fire threatened homes late Wednesday, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration, which offers federal assistance with the blaze.
What else people are reading:
🔵 "You end up in handcuffs for something stupid": Britney Spears' ex-husband Jason Alexander was arrested Sunday at a Nashville airport.
🔵 The 230-year-old "Old Farmer's Almanac" says we're in for one of the coldest winters in "years":Should you trust it?
🔴 New QB in Big D: The Dallas Cowboys have claimed Will Grier off of waivers in the team's latest quarterback reshuffling.
🔵 "As a parent as the district attorney, there's really no worse feeling you can imagine": A suspect is in custody after a student was killed in a North Carolina high school shooting.
🔵 Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of the multi-billion dollar health-care startup Theranos, is on trial: Who is Elizabeth Holmes? And what happened?
Hearing in George Floyd's death to debate broadcast of ex-cops' trial
At a hearing Thursday, attorneys for two former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd's death will ask a judge to bar their upcoming trial from being livestreamed, saying some witnesses won't testify if it is broadcast. The petition from attorneys for Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng is an about-face from their earlier request to have the trial publicly broadcast, and it's opposed by prosecutors and news media outlets. Lane, Kueng and Tou Thao are scheduled for trial next March on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd's 2020 death. Their co-defendant, Derek Chauvin, was convicted in April of murder and manslaughter. Another issue expected to be addressed ahead of the trial is whether the jury will remain anonymous. Kueng's lawyer, Thomas Plunkett, opposes an anonymous jury because he says it violates his client's right to a fair and open trial. The jurors from the Chauvin case remain anonymous.
🔵 Previous coverage: The pandemic forced judges to let livestream cameras into court: The Chauvin trial showed it could work. Will it last?
🔵 'They need to be watched': This is how livestreaming the Derek Chauvin trial let people of color monitor the justice system.
Newsmakers in their own words: New Marvel star Simu Liu is fine to speak out
Simu Liu, star of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," is the freshest face to arrive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a decade. "Shang-Chi" (in theaters Friday), the mega-franchise's first lead Asian superhero and the most high-profile Hollywood rookie to steer one of its solo films since Chris Hemsworth led 2011's "Thor."
He has no problem calling out issues or people. He’s written essays about recent anti-Asian racism and violence and recently fired off a tweet slamming Disney CEO Bob Chapek for suggesting the theatrical release of "Shang-Chi" will be an "experiment."
US men's soccer team opens World Cup qualifying
The U.S. men's national soccer team will play its first qualifier for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when it takes on El Salvador at Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador Thursday night (10 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network and Paramount+). This is the USMNT's first World Cup qualifier since that dreadful October 2017 night in Couva, Trinidad and Tobago, when it failed to reach the 2018 World Cup. U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter has called on an inexperienced group of players to get the team's World Cup qualifying off to a successful start. There are 13 players who are 23 years old or younger. Only six players on the roster – Christian Pulisic, DeAndre Yedlin, Kellyn Acosta, Tim Ream, John Brooks and Sebastian Lleget – have previous World Cup qualifying experience. And, only Brooks and Yedlin have previously played in a World Cup. Unfortunately for the U.S., Pulisic – arguably the team's most talented player – will miss the El Salvador game after testing positive for COVID-19.
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published Wednesday
🌏 "We sincerely hope for their speedy and safe return": A California school district said they have approximately 27 students stuck in Afghanistan after the U.S. evacuation efforts ended.
⚖ Developments in Colorado: Five police officers and medics have been indicted by a grand jury in connection with the death two years ago of Elijah McClain, a young Black man walking home from a store.
🏈 The losses keep piling up: Bishop Sycamore, the Columbus-based football program at the center of a growing controversy, is now accused of stiffing the Canton hotel where it stayed for its nationally televised game.
Labor Day weekend traffic begins
While the CDC is advising unvaccinated Americans to stay home this Labor Day weekend, traffic in certain corridors is expected to spike between Sept. 2 and 7 as travelers take advantage of the three-day weekend, according to transportation analytics company INRIX. "Thursday and Friday are the toughest days, for sure, as you're heading out of town," INRIX analyst Bob Pishue told USA TODAY. "It's that kind of early afternoon period all the way into the early evening," which often overlaps with work traffic and people running errands. For those who are planning to travel by car this year, here are some of the best – and worst – times to hit the road, according to INRIX.
The Daily Briefing is free, but several stories we link to in this edition are subscriber-only. Please support our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today.
Contributing: The Associated Press