Daily Briefing: Hollywood's latest act

The production of countless movies and TV shows has been shut down after Hollywood actors voted to strike. Also in the news: The FDA has approved the first-ever over the counter birth control pill and drinking Diet Coke has been linked with cancer.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. California otter's surfboard-stealing days are numbered.

Now, here we go with Friday's news.

Actors on the picket lines

Striking Hollywood actors will be on the picket lines Friday morning, capping a month of tense negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and major studios.

The combined SAG and Writers Guild of America strikes mean the immediate shutdown of any TV show or movie currently in production and all promotional appearances ranging from red carpet walks to media junkets.

• ''The gravity of this move is not lost on me,'' Screen Actors Guild president Fran Drescher said Thursday at a news conference in Los Angeles announcing the strike.

• While the duration of the strike is unknown, some reports suggest studios are willing to hold out into the fall to win concessions. Studios blamed actors for walking away from talks and said "historic" pay increases and other benefits had been offered.

• This marks the first time in 63 years that both Hollywood actors and writers have been on strike simultaneously.

FDA approves first over-the-counter birth control pill in US

Federal officials have approved Opill, the nation's first over-the-counter birth control pill, making it the first daily oral contraceptive to be made available in the U.S. without a prescription in a move long called for by reproductive rights organizations and leading medical associations. Opill’s over-the-counter status could go a long way toward removing barriers to access since people will be able to get an oral contraceptive without the need to first see a health care provider. Teens and girls, women of color and those with low incomes report greater hurdles in getting prescriptions and picking them up. Read more

• Arizona becomes latest state to adopt over-the-counter birth control without prescription.

More news to know now

• Takeaways from Ron DeSantis' "confidential" campaign memo to gain ground on Donald Trump.

• How a Second Amendment case at the Supreme Court is putting gun rights groups in a jam.

• Parts of the U.S. will face brutal temperatures Friday as intense heat expands from Mexico.

• The Pittsburgh synagogue shooter is eligible for the death penalty, a jury decided.

• On today's 5 Things podcast, some tips for staying cool, while saving money (and the planet). Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

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

What WHO says about the health risks of Diet Coke

After an extensive review of the data, the World Health Organization has concluded the sweetener aspartame can potentially cause liver cancer and maybe other health problems, but likely only when consumed in extremely high amounts. Companies that make aspartame-sweetened products hailed the WHO's decision not to change its recommendation after two independent WHO panels concluded evidence is lacking that the additive causes human disease. So for now, you're okay to keep sipping — in moderation. Read more

President says Russia has already lost war in Ukraine

President Joe Biden said Thursday he doesn't foresee Vladimir Putin using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, arguing that the Russian president has already lost the war. Biden made his remarks on the final stop of his five-day swing through Europe in which Russia's war against Ukraine was a top agenda item. He said he doesn’t think there’s “any real prospect” of Putin using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Russia doesn’t have the resources and the capacity for the war to rage indefinitely, he added, and Putin will eventually decide “it's not an interest of Russia, economically, politically or otherwise, to continue this war.” Read more

• ''The struggle ahead'': 2024 candidates, voters scared of Russian war in Ukraine − but some fear China more.

• Biden is ''serious'' about a prisoner swap to free Wall Street Journal reporter jailed in Russia.

Just for subscribers:

• SEC football's best home-field advantage? This list might surprise you.

• Ford exec told police about his actions that led to domestic violence charges, report says.

• ''Guilty until proven innocent''? Advocates say Black immigrants face racial bias in court.

• A port city, a steel cage, a palace: The steps that made Putin ''the richest man in the world''

These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. 

What’s working and what’s not with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

The Biden administration through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration one year ago launched the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to replace an old 10-digit number. Since the launch, hotline responders have answered a majority, but not all, of the 5 million calls, chats and texts messages they received. Service providers told USA TODAY the crisis line has a long way to go before it becomes as efficient as the "911" emergency phone number and will need more staffing and funding to get there, but that it's at a good starting point. Read more (Can't read this story? It's subscriber-only.)

Quick hits

• A teen couple surrendered a newborn to store workers who helped deliver the baby.

• A hoard of 700 Civil War-era gold coins were unearthed in a Kentucky cornfield.

• A 55-pound rabid beaver attacked young girl at a Georgia lake before her father killed the animal.

• New movies this weekend: Watch Tom Cruise's ''Mission: Impossible 7,'' go to ''Theater Camp.''

• All Margot Robbie's ''Barbie'' outfits from the pink carpet premiere and beyond.

Photo of the day: Djokovic inches closer to Wimbledon 2023 final

The only two people standing in the way of a potential Wimbledon final Sunday between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev. Sinner will try to upset Djokovic in the first men's semifinal Friday on Centre Court. Then Medvedev takes on top-ranked Alcaraz. Read more

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@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hollywood, strike, FDA, birth control, Diet Coke, Ukraine, 988, Wimbledon, Barbie: Daily Briefing