Daily Briefing: Suspect in Pentagon document leak to appear in court
A 21-year-old Air National Guardsman will appear in court charged with leaking classified documents. Also in the news: President Joe Biden wraps up his trip to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and parts of Florida could see some respite following an epic storm and flooding.
It's Jane Onyanga-Omara and Steve Coogan, Daily Briefing authors. What would a home on Mars look like? Check out NASA’s vision.
Now, here's Friday's news
Air National Guardsman arrested over leaked Pentagon documents
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the arrest Thursday of Jack Teixeira, an Air National Guardsman in Massachusetts suspected of leaking classified documents. Teixeira, 21, is charged with the alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information, Garland said. Teixeira, an enlisted airman first class who is also the leader of an online chat group who has shared an interest in guns and racist memes, will make his first court appearance Friday in Boston, a spokesperson said. The leaked documents appear to be highly sensitive reports tied to the war effort in Ukraine, including data on military activities. Read more
Who leaked the Pentagon documents? This is what we know about Jack Teixeira, the suspected leaker.
Pentagon document leak: Here are the biggest takeaways after U.S. military secrets got out.
The Pentagon leak won't impact Ukraine, experts say. But what is the "political cost" to come?
Biden's last day of Ireland trip likely to be overshadowed by leak
President Joe Biden's visit to North Mayo Heritage Centre in Ireland is likely to be overshadowed as the airman charged with leaking classified documents is scheduled to appear in court. The president returns to the U.S. on Friday evening following a three-day trip overseas. Biden's trips abroad have a history of being disrupted by outside forces. In Mexico this year, he was pressed on classified documents found at his home. In Indonesia for the G-20, his last day in Bali was overshadowed by a missile crisis. The Supreme Court overturned abortion rights as he prepared to leave for Europe last year. Read more
Lady Gaga, George Clooney, Jennifer Garner, more to join Joe Biden's arts, humanities committee.
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GOP billionaire Harlan Crow purchased property from Justice Clarence Thomas, according to a new report.
Indiana FedEx mass shooting victims, families file lawsuit against gun magazine distributor.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs 6-week abortion ban after bill passes state legislature.
Mary Quant, fashion designer who popularized the miniskirt, dies at 93
On today's 5 Things podcast, USA TODAY Domestic Security Correspondent Josh Meyer has the latest after an arrest was made related to the Pentagon documents leak. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.
'Once in every 1,000-2,000 years' storm swamps Fort Lauderdale
Florida residents could get a reprieve Friday, following a storm that dumped 25 inches of rain over some coastal areas, flooding homes and highways and forcing the shutdown of a major airport. Fort Lauderdale was slammed with 25.95 inches of rainfall in 24 hours, AccuWeather reported Thursday. "The amount of rain, the rainfall rate is something you should see once in every 1,000 years or once in every 2,000 years," AccuWeather's Dan DePodwin told USA TODAY. Storms are expected to be scattered and rainfall totals relatively low Friday – but heavy rainfall that develops could lead to additional flooding. Read more
Fort Lauderdale saw 2 feet of rain in a day. How on Earth is that even possible?
Photos show waterlogged Fort Lauderdale airport, flooded Florida streets.
What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.
Russia may discuss swap for WSJ reporter
Russia may be willing to discuss a prisoner swap involving Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich after a court delivers its verdict on espionage charges, a top Russian diplomat said Thursday. Not-guilty verdicts are almost unheard of in Russian courts. President Joe Biden on Tuesday called Russia's detention of Gershkovich "totally illegal." Gershkovich, 31, was detained by Russian authorities two weeks ago in the city of Yekaterinburg. Russia alleged that he "was acting on the U.S. orders" to collect information about "a state secret." The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government have repeatedly denied Gershkovich is a spy. Read more
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Daniel Snyder appears poised to sell Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion
Daniel Snyder is nearing a deal to sell the NFL's Washington Commanders to a group led by billionaires Josh Harris and Mitchell Rales, two sources confirmed to USA TODAY Sports Thursday. They spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the process' sensitive nature and because the sale hadn't been finalized. One source said the group reached a preliminary agreement to buy the team for $6.05 billion, which would crush the previous record for an NFL franchise. The Denver Broncos sold for $4.65 billion in 2022. NBA legend Magic Johnson is also known to be part of the bidding group. Read more
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Photo of the day: Downpours lead to flash flood emergency in South Florida
South Florida was under siege Thursday from epic storms that dumped unprecedented rain over some coastal areas. AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said at one point, Fort Lauderdale got about 1 1/2 inches of rain in 10 minutes, "close to the United States’ all-time record for rain in that short period of time.”
Click here to see more photos of the downpours and their aftermath.
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Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jack Teixeira to appear in court in Pentagon document leak: Daily Briefing
