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Daily Briefing: Stunned and soaked

Nicole Fallert   Paste BN

Vermont residents are devastated as the state has been deluged with record rain and flooding. Also in the news: Ukraine's leader expressed frustration at NATO's vague plan for Kyiv's entrance to the alliance and Emmy nominations will be announced today amid tensions over a potential actors strike.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Here are the 270+ best Amazon Prime Day deals to shop right now.

Now, here we go with Wednesday's news.

Floodwaters receding in Vermont

Floodwaters are receding in Vermont cities and towns pummeled by a storm that delivered two months of rain in two days this week.

Stunned and soaked, residents paddled through the main streets of the capital city of Montpelier on Tuesday after torrents of rain lashed the Northeast, causing the deadly and catastrophic flooding.

  • Authorities said they had carried out more than 175 rescues by Tuesday night, as the slow-moving storm unleashed up to 9 inches of rain in parts of the state and caused flash flooding in Vermont and New York. Rivers in Connecticut are also threatening to overflow.
  • As floods strike the Northeast, rising water and aging dams could become an increasingly dangerous combination. In Vermont, where the biggest floods have been reported, officials are warning of dams nearing capacity.
  • Montpelier's flooding is being considered second to the historic Flood of 1927, the worst natural disaster in state history. 

Keep reading: Climate change is warping the ground our cities are built on, a new study says.

Iowa Legislature passes bill banning most abortions

 The Iowa Legislature has passed a bill that would ban nearly all abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, with Gov. Kim Reynolds announcing she will sign the measure Friday. The votes came in a marathon one-day special session that was punctuated by protesters' angry shouts in the Iowa Capitol and hours of emotional testimony from supporters and opponents. The legislation would prohibit abortions after cardiac activity is detected in an embryo, which doctors say can happen as early as six weeks after a pregnant woman's last period. Meanwhile, polling shows a majority of Iowans believe abortion should be legal. Read more

More news to know now

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Zelenskyy and Biden to meet while at odds over when Ukraine should join NATO

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, angered by NATO's terms for his country to join the alliance, is set to meet Wednesday with President Joe Biden as the Ukrainian leader looks to accelerate a NATO invitation. The NATO summit is ending with opaque promises of Ukraine's future membership in the alliance. NATO leaders presented a plan Tuesday for Ukraine to join the military alliance "when Allies agree and conditions are met,'' hours after Zelenskyy strongly expressed his opposition to such a vague timeline, calling it "absurd.'' Read more

Hollywood strikes could cloud Emmy nominations

The Hollywood writers’ strike and the possibility that actors could join them are in the backdrop of Wednesday's Emmy nominations. HBO’s “Succession,” “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us” are all likely to get nominations across the major drama categories when they’re announced Wednesday morning. Comedy contenders include “Ted Lasso,” “The Bear,” “Abbot Elementary” and “Barry.” But the writers’ strike now in its 10th week could threaten the planned September Emmys ceremony. And the contract for unionized actors expires just hours after the nominations are announced, meaning another strike could break out and limit stars’ participation in the ceremony. Read more

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Rockies' Elias Diaz leads National League to first All-Star Game win since 2012

Elias Diaz, the first Rockies catcher to be in the All-Star Game, walked away with the biggest honor after playing in his first All-Star Game Tuesday night. Diaz earned the title of All-Star MVP award by hitting the game-winning two-run home run in the eighth inning, leading the National League to a thrilling, come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the American League. It was the National League’s first victory at the All-Star Game since 2012, snapping a nine-game losing streak, and only their fourth victory in the past 26 years. Read more

  • Shohei Ohtani hears All-Star crowd's recruiting pitch loud and clear.
  • Wimbledon 2023: No. 1 Alcaraz and No. 6 Rune will square off Wednesday on Centre Court.

Quick hits

Photo of the day:  Bilbao sprints to first Tour de France stage win 

Pello Bilbao has sprinted to his first Tour de France stage victory and also gained significant time in the overall standings. Jonas Vingegaard still leads overall after the tricky 10th stage. Bilbao raised his arms in celebration at the end of one of the hardest stages of the Tour so far. Read more

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to Paste BN here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

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