Thursday's Daily Briefing: Naya Rivera search, Trump's tax returns
Good morning, Daily Briefing readers. Let's get this day started with a quick rundown of some of yesterday's major news.
- The US surpassed 3 million reported cases of the coronavirus, hitting another grim milestone in the battle against COVID-19.
- The Ivy League told schools that it was canceling fall sports in what could be a barometer for college football amid COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Supreme Court allowed religious, moral exemptions for employers opposed to birth control.
- Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the Army officer who testified in President Donald Trump's impeachment, is retiring from the military due to "bullying, intimidation and retaliation" by Trump.
It's N'dea and here's more news you need to know Thursday.
Search for actress Naya Rivera to resume Thursday morning
The search and rescue operation attempting to locate actress Naya Rivera after she disappeared from a rented boat in a California lake will resume early Thursday morning, the Ventura County Sheriff confirmed on Twitter late Wednesday. Rivera arrived at Lake Piru, about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles, around 1 p.m. and rented a boat with her 4-year-old son, a spokesman for the sheriff's office said. Around 4 p.m., the boat was found with the boy inside but Rivera missing. Rivera is presumed drowned in the lake and a search is ongoing for her body, the spokesman said. Rivera started her career in entertainment at the age of 4, and is best known for playing Santana Lopez on the Fox musical dramedy "Glee," which ran from 2009 to 2015.
- From 2016: Rivera explains in a Paste BN essay why she wrote about having an abortion in her book
Seeing misinformation on social media? Let us fact check that for you ✔️
Take a look at some of the latest work from our Paste BN Fact Check team. See all their fact checks here.
- Fact check: Melania Trump's Mount Rushmore dress did not feature abuse victims' drawings
- Fact check: Bubonic plague case found in Inner Mongolia, China
- Fact check: Viral video does not show Black Lives Matter supporter beating a white mother
- The Backstory: How and why the Paste BN Network fact checks issues, people and statements in the news
Supreme Court decision on President Trump's tax returns expected ⚖️
The Supreme Court will rule on President Donald Trump’s attempt to keep his tax returns and other financial records away from congressional investigators and prosecutors on Thursday. Trump has refused to comply with subpoenas from three House committees controlled by Democrats, as well as Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., seeking information from his accounting firm and banks. The long-awaited decisions are important for several reasons: They could result in Trump's finances becoming public in the midst of his re-election campaign. They could redefine the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. And they could determine if a sitting president, unlike other citizens, is above the law.
- From arguments in May: Supreme Court grills both sides in landmark battle over President Trump's financial records
- More rulings: Supreme Court upholds autonomy of religious employers in employment discrimination case
Here is the latest on the George Floyd case, Black Lives Matter and more
- Thomas Lane, former Minneapolis police officer who held George Floyd's legs, seeks dismissal of charges
- 'I gotta get my voice heard': 12-year-old takes up megaphone at Black Lives Matter rally
- A 'Strike for Black Lives' will bring together workers calling for end to systemic racism
- Javicia Leslie to become TV's first Black Batwoman in CW series, Ruby Rose responds
- Real-estate developers won't rename 'plantation' properties in South Carolina, Florida
Ousted prosecutor to testify before House committee
Geoffrey Berman, whose firing as head of the Justice Department's most prestigious office remains clouded with questions, will speak to lawmakers Thursday about the circumstances surrounding his ouster. He will testify behind closed-doors before the House Judiciary Committee, which has been investigating allegations of political interference within the DOJ. The testimony from Berman could raise further questions about the DOJ's independence from a White House that has purged watchdogs, whistleblowers and others seen as disloyal. Berman was fired last month after a clash with Attorney General William Barr, who had announced that Berman was stepping down to make way for Trump's new nominee to lead the Manhattan office. Berman, however, insisted he had no intention of resigning until the Senate confirms a nominee. Trump later fired Berman at Barr's urging.
- Mixed messages: Trump distances himself from Berman firing after Barr says president was behind decision
- Geoffrey Berman firing: AG Barr's glowing account of NY prosecutor's work further clouds dismissal
- Video: Former Assistant US Attorney says Berman firing a 'fire alarm moment'
The US just hit 3 million coronavirus cases 📈
- Fauci says states need to address problems with COVID-19 response: 'If you don't admit it, you can't correct it'
- US hits 3M coronavirus cases – about a quarter of the world's total. What number will spark societal changes to slow exponential rise?
- EPA approves Lysol products for use against coronavirus
- Pence says CDC changing school reopening guidelines after Trump called them 'tough and expensive'
- Viral videos shows shoppers throwing tantrums, but who protects workers?
- 'Scared for my life,' but needing a salary: Teachers weigh risks as COVID-19 looms
- Harvard, MIT sue Trump administration over ICE foreign-student rule, deeming it cruel and reckless; College students on visas fret over ruling
- 'COVID hallucinations saved my life': Coronavirus-induced vision told a woman near death to call 911
Weekly jobless report may look similar to other recent reports
The Labor Department will release its weekly report on unemployment benefits Thursday and it could look similar to recent reports. The department reported 1.43 million people applied for unemployment benefits for the first time the week of June 21-27. That was the fourth consecutive week between 1.4 and 1.6 million workers filed new claims – considerably higher than before the coronavirus pandemic took hold on the U.S. The economists MarketWatch polled predict that 1.4 million new claims were filed the week of June 28-July 4. The news comes on the heels of last week's announcement that the U.S. economy added a record 4.8 million jobs in June as states continued to allow businesses shuttered by the virus to reopen and more Americans went back to work. But the comeback is likely to slow in the months ahead, economists say, with the recent spike in coronavirus cases being a significant factor.
- 'Historic': Trump touts June jobs report, but the labor market is still grim
- By the numbers: 48M Americans filed jobless claims in 15 weeks
- June report: 4.8M jobs added and unemployment falls to 11.1%
- What if you were receiving the $600 every week and then it stopped? Your COVID-19 money questions, answered 💰
More news you need to know
- Transgender murders are 'rampant' in 2020: Human Rights Campaign counts 21 so far, nearly matching total of a year ago
- 'I would be very careful in the middle of the street': There have been at least 66 vehicle-ramming attacks in US since May 27
- Man fights, kills one of the world's deadliest snakes while driving 60 mph on Australian highway 🐍
- Starbucks' buy-one-get-one deal returns Thursday. Here's how to get a free drink during Happy Hour ☕
Biden to deliver remarks at plant in Pennsylvania
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden plans to travel Thursday to Pennsylvania, where he will detail the first leg of an economic package that his aides pitch as a preview of policies he would pursue if he wins in November. He'll visit a metal works plant in Dunmore, according to local reports. Biden is expected to emphasize American manufacturing and labor policies, including how government can aim its buying power to bolster U.S. manufacturing. Biden's appearance will come a day after he released the proposed Democratic Party platform, which included recommendations that Biden embrace proposals to combat climate change and institutional racism while expanding health care coverage and rebuilding a coronavirus-ravaged economy. The policies came from task forces Biden formed with onetime rival Sen. Bernie Sanders as they sought to develop a road map to best defeat President Donald Trump.
- 2020 election: Young Black voters say they aren't enthusiastic about a Joe Biden presidency
- 'Grim resolve': Biden is up and the Senate is in sight, but Democrats still haunted by fear of letdown
- Legal fight: University sued after denying records request for Biden Senate collection
In better news: 'Please scream inside your heart' is the new motto of 2020 🎢
As theme parks have reopened in Japan, one new rule has visitors thrown for a loop: No screaming on roller coasters.
It may seem like an odd request when riders are going up and down, upside-down and sideways at high speeds. But intense vocal expressions are thought to produce droplets that could spread the coronavirus.
A consortium of Japanese theme parks developed the rule so they could reopen with precautions after closing due to the pandemic. However, as The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, theme park goers are having a hard time following it.
In response, two executives from the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park appeared in a four-minute video where they rode the park's Fujiyama coaster in complete silence.
"Please scream inside your heart," the video advises at its conclusion.