Latest news with #NicoleFallert
USA Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Sex toys, crypto and the WNBA
Happy Friday!🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Poppy the axolotl found a new home. WNBA sex toy incidents started by Crypto meme coin group Cryptocurrency meme coin creators say they are responsible for the sex toys being thrown at multiple WNBA games, and they are planning more "pranks." You read that correct: From Atlanta to Los Angeles, no arena has been safe from neon green objects whizzing from the stands, through the air and onto WNBA courts. What to know about Trump's proposed census President Donald Trump announced his intention to "immediately begin work on a new" census, raising questions about whether the plan would be constitutional and how it would affect the partisan makeup of Congress. His announcement came amid Texas Republicans' efforts to perform an unusual mid-decade redrawing of congressional maps, which are normally drawn after the census determines the number of seats in each state's delegation at the beginning of each new decade. Political experts told USA TODAY Republicans want to draw new congressional districts, so they might be able to mitigate the number of seats they lose. More news to know now What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. IndyCar dragged into controversy with Trump administration's ICE car, 'Speedway Slammer' About 70 miles north of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500, a new immigration detention center got a noteworthy and controversial name: 'The Speedway Slammer." In a social media post, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem published an image of an Indy car driving past a prison emblazoned with the letters ICE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — and No. 5, which belongs to NTT IndyCar Series driver Pato O'Ward, the only Mexican in the Indy 500 and the series this year. The Speedway Slammer joins "Alligator Alcatraz,'' a detention center in Florida that marked the only other partnership with a state to expand ICE detention capacity. One man's journey to reclaim family land in the American South Heirs' property is usually defined as land handed down without clear, official documentation. Over the course of the 20th century, Black Americans lost roughly 80% of the property they owned at the peak of ownership a few decades after the Civil War because of theft and systemic injustices. How hard could it be to "not lose" several dozen acres of land? In a nation where the scars of slavery and racialized violence still loom, pretty hard, as it turns out. Researchers estimate that between 1865 and 1910, Black Americans acquired 15 million acres of land. But by 2001, an estimated 80% of it had been lost. Read Georgia man Saul Blair's story, the first in a two-part USA TODAY series, "The Heir's Property." Today's talkers Don't want Insta followers seeing your location? Instagram's new feature shows users' current locations, prompting some to worry their location will suddenly be shared on the platform. While location services already existed on the app through the tagging option on posts and stories, some social media users raised concerns about Meta's new map feature that shows a user's last active location. A user's location is updated whenever they open the app or return to the app if it's been running in the background, per Meta. Here's how to turn Instagram map location sharing on and off. Photo of the day: Calling all pommel horse fans Missing last summer's Olympics? Get your gymnastics fix this weekend as the U.S. gymnastics championships kick off in New Orleans. Is Simone Biles competing? Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@
USA Today
6 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
mRNA mayhem
Good morning!🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. BRB, checking out Instagram's new features. RFK Jr. is canceling mRNA vaccine development Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed his agency will be cutting funding to mRNA development, the vaccine technology used in the two most common COVID-19 vaccines licensed in the U.S. What we're talking about: Messenger RNA works by instructing the body's immune system to recognize the virus and creating fighting antibodies to attack it. These vaccines contain only a fraction of the virus, so unlike some vaccines, they can't give people the disease they're trying to prevent or trigger allergies. Fort Stewart shooting is latest US military base attack in recent years An Army sergeant shot and wounded five fellow soldiers Wednesday at the Fort Stewart military base in Georgia, the latest in a growing number of violent, and sometimes deadly, incidents at U.S. military bases over the years. Officials did not provide further details on what led to the incident, but Army Brig. Gen. John Lubas said the suspect, Quornelius Radford, 28, used a personal handgun, not a military firearm. Fellow soldiers responded swiftly, tackling him to the ground. Other military bases have also experienced mass shootings in recent years. More news to know now What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. Trump's tariffs take effect Thursday President Donald Trump's higher tariff rates of 10% to 50% on dozens of trading partners kicked in Thursday, testing his strategy for shrinking U.S. trade deficits without massive disruptions to global supply chains, higher inflation and stiff retaliation from trading partners. U.S. Customs and Border Protection began collecting the higher tariffs at 12:01 a.m. ET after weeks of suspense over Trump's final tariff rates and frantic negotiations with major trading partners that sought to lower them. Meanwhile, costs from Trump's tariff war are mounting for a wide swath of companies, including bellwethers Caterpillar, Marriott, Molson Coors and Yum Brands. USA TODAY breaks down the tariffs. Texas Democrats evacuate amid bomb threat Some of the Texas Democrats who fled their state to try to block Republicans' redistricting efforts were evacuated from an Illinois hotel where they were staying over a bomb threat. Texas House Rep. John Bucy III, one of the Democrats at the hotel, told USA TODAY that many legislators were still asleep when the alarm went off in the morning and that the group gathered outside. He said it took about two hours before everything was cleared up and they were allowed to safely reenter. Today's talkers Why are people tossing sex toys onto the court at WNBA games? The latest toss of a sex toy came during Tuesday night's game between the Indiana Fever and the Los Angeles Sparks at Arena in L.A. With two minutes remaining in the second quarter, the neon green toy landed on the court in the lane near Fever forward Sophie Cunningham, who earlier in the week went on social media to plead with fans not to throw things on the floor and posted another reaction after the game. Sparks guard Kelsey Plum took it upon herself to get rid of it by kicking it into the stands. It's the third such incident in the past two weeks where a sex toy was thrown on the court of a WNBA game — and the league is issuing warnings and ejecting fans. Photo of the day: Meet Plesionectes longicollum Paleontology researchers in Europe have identified Plesionectes longicollum, a new species of ancient marine reptile that existed nearly 183 million years ago. What did the newly discovered Jurassic sea monster eat? Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@
USA Today
05-08-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
An order arrest Texas Democrats
Good morning!🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Team Diet Coke or Team Coke Zero? Texas governor promises arrest of lawmakers who fled Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered Texas law enforcement to arrest Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a vote on redistricting that could give Republicans several more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. More than 50 state Democratic lawmakers fled Aug. 3 in the political power struggle. Many went to the Chicago area, where Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker greeted them. Others went to Boston, Massachusetts, and Albany, New York. An in-flight mayday isn't as scary as it sounds It means the system is working. When a United Airlines flight issued a mayday call shortly after departure, passengers onboard were doubtlessly scared. One of the Boeing 787's engines had failed, and the plane was forced to return to Washington Dulles International Airport, rather than continuing over the Atlantic to Munich, where it was bound. The plane landed safely, and no injuries were reported — a testament to effective pilot training and the overall safety of air travel. If you're headed to the airport today, take a breath and don't be too concerned. As the adage goes, you're much more likely to get injured on your drive to the airport than you are in the sky. More news to know now What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. Canadian wildfires prompt air quality warnings for Midwest, Northeast "Milky gray" skies could remain for days as weak winds leave wildfire smoke to linger over the northern U.S. Stronger winds aren't expected to blow the smoke until Aug. 6 or 7 for the Midwest, forecasters told USA TODAY, and conditions in the Northeast will likely improve by the end of the week. The blazes have catapulted major American and Canadian cities into the most polluted places in the world, with Detroit, Minneapolis, and Toronto among the top 11 most polluted cities in the world as of Monday evening. Know the side effects of inhaling wildfire smoke. When does your body really start aging? A new study suggests aging may begin sooner than you think. By looking at tissues taken from organs throughout the body, including the heart, liver, pancreas, spleen, lung, skin and muscles, researchers in a new study determined that aging starts to accelerate from 45 to 55. The study's findings could have a lot of implications in future research into treatments for chronic conditions related to aging that would not only add decades to patients' lifespan, but also their health span, which is the period of a person's life spent in good health, authors said. The study also shows the small window older adults have to change their aging trajectory. Today's talkers Texas is at the front of college football for the first time Texas will open at No. 1 for the first time in the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Longhorns, projected among the early favorites in the crowded SEC, were voted first by 28 of the 67 panelists in this year's poll. They'll get an immediate challenge to that lofty perch, however, as their Week 1 opponent, defending champion Ohio State, will start off at No. 2. This season opener is unprecedented in the poll, and the hype leading up to the clash in Columbus will be, too. Photo of the day: Trump relishes paved-over Rose Garden President Trump claims he's hearing "great reviews" about his controversial overhaul of the White House Rose Garden — which has turned the garden's famous lawn into a stone patio. Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@
USA Today
04-08-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Is the economy hot or not?
Good morning!🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. The dreaded gym class mile run is back. Economy = weak labor market + tariff uncertainty Employers in the U.S. added a disappointing 73,000 jobs (well below the expected 102,000) in July as payroll growth slowed amid President Donald Trump's sweeping import tariffs, intensified immigration crackdown and massive federal layoffs. This was no blip: The poor showing likely wasn't an outlier that will be followed by a resumption of healthy job gains in the months ahead, economists told USA TODAY. More concerning, however, were downward revisions to April and May's numbers, suggesting the labor market may be weaker than previously thought. 💵 What the Trump administration means for your wallet: Sign up for USA TODAY's Daily Money newsletter for more tips and analysis. Texas Democrats seek to block redistricting vote by leaving state Democratic lawmakers in Texas said Sunday they were leaving the state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts, a move sought to protect the Republicans' narrow U.S. House majority in next year's midterm elections. President Trump has championed the redistricting plan, telling reporters he expects the effort to yield as many as five additional House Republicans. Republicans hold a narrow 220-212 majority in the House of Representatives, with three Democratic-held seats vacant after members' deaths. In a video shot in front of an airport, Democratic Representative James Talarico said the redistricting amounted to "rigging" the 2026 elections. More news to know now What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. ICE is recruiting agents with incentives Dangling bonuses of up to $50,000, federal officials are launching a massive recruitment campaign to hire more than 14,000 immigration agents, attorneys and other workers to help execute President Trump's border crackdown. The president is newly flush with billions in funding and wants to deport 1 million people a year with the help of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Even before the new hires take their posts, the dramatic expansion of public ICE operations has upset communities. And the aggressive recruitment efforts have also angered local sheriffs who worry that deputies in already understaffed offices will be lured away by the big bonuses and higher pay. Will Rural America give up on Trump? ~ Matt Hildreth, Executive Director of Hildreth's group is already operating in congressional battleground districts in Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania, with a focus on getting people to talk about Medicaid. Today's talkers Winners and losers from the U.S. track and field championships Melissa Jefferson-Wooden accomplished the sprint double, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was golden in the 400 and Noah Lyles was braggadocious as he won another 200 national title. On the field, Valarie Allman continued her reign over the discus and Tara Davis-Woodhall leaped to the top mark in the world in the long jump. The U.S. track and field championships served as the qualifying stage for next month's world championships in Tokyo, Japan. USA TODAY Sports was on the sidelines at Hayward Field for all the action. Photo of the day: You did that, Trinity! The NWSL saw the return of one of its stars in a big way Sunday, as the Washington Spirit's Trinity Rodman struck a game-winning goal against the Portland Thorns in her first match since April 12. Rodman, who battled back from a nagging back injury, scored in the second minute of second half stoppage time, catching a ball mid-bounce and firing it over keeper Mackenzie Arnold for the game-winner. Rodman missed the game as much as we missed her. Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@
USA Today
31-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Pre-2026 redistricting race
Good morning!🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. "Zootopia 2" is the cinema news we needed. A pre-2026 redistricting arms race is heating up Democrats across the country are searching for ways to block or counter a Trump-led effort by Republicans to redraw Texas' congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections This is a rare mid-decade redistricting in Texas. The president and Republicans hope that shifting boundaries in Texas could help the GOP pick up as many as five seats in the 2026 race for control of the U.S. House. A wave of relief The earthquake that hit a Russian island was among the most powerful ever recorded, and forecasters immediately feared it could spur cataclysmic walls of water thousands of miles away in Hawaii, California and Alaska. But hours later, evacuation warnings were lifted for nearly all of the U.S. Damage was determined to be minimal — at least in the U.S. so far, with Honolulu's dangerous traffic gridlock the main impact. More news to know now What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. Drastic changes are coming to homeless services President Donald Trump has long criticized how the U.S. manages homelessness, and argues public streets aren't safe for either the homeless or residents. Now, the president has declared that organizations for the homeless receiving federal funding mustfocus first on locking up people with drug or mental health challenges. Longtime social workers, medical experts and mental health service providers say a law and order approach will likely worsen homelessness across the country, particularly because Trump's order contains no new funding for mental health or drug treatment. Additionally, they say the president appears to misunderstand the fundamental driver of homelessness: People can't afford housing. The Fed didn't cut interest rates this week. But here's when they might The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady Wednesday between 4.25% and 4.5% — exactly as interest-rate traders' bets had predicted after the policy-making body's meeting in June. Traders now see the Fed's Oct. 29 meeting as the most likely chance for an interest rate cut. That means short-term interest rates — which are heavily influenced by the Fed's decisions — could remain elevated for several more weeks. Today's talkers A major deadline for MLB today There are still several difference-makers on the market so baseball fans can expect a flurry of activity as the 2-25 Major League Baseball trade deadline at 6 p.m. ET approaches. Perhaps today is the day we see starting pitchers Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Merrill Kelly or Zac Gallen make shifts? Here are some of the top players who could be on the move ahead of Thursday's deadline. Photo of the day: Goodbye, Ozzy Fans, friends and family bid farewell to Ozzy Osbourne at his funeral procession Wednesday through his home city of Birmingham, England. The Black Sabbath frontman died July 22 at the age of 76, a little over two weeks after his final live performance with his Black Sabbath bandmates. Scroll through for photos of the rock legend's funeral proceedings. Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@
