Daily Briefing: The tennis prodigy beats the master

Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY
Updated ·5 min read
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Twenty-year-old Carlos Alcaraz served his way to win the Wimbledon men's singles final, forever etching himself in Grand Slam history. Also in the news: Officials in Moscow blamed Ukraine for an apparent attack Monday on a key bridge and flash flooding has killed at least five people in Pennsylvania.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Happy World Emoji Day! 😂📰✍💐📢💞👀

Now, here we go with Monday's news.

Alcaraz breaks Djokovic's Wimbledon winning streak

The prodigy finally dethroned the master when No. 1 seeded Carlos Alcaraz won Wimbledon's men's final against Novak Djokovic, who holds more Grand Slams (23) than Alcaraz has years on Earth (20). The young star won 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 for his first Wimbledon title in an instant classic. After the emotional match that lasted four hours, Djokovic praised Alcaraz's ability to adapt to the grass court surface and reflected on his past history at Wimbledon. The match was Djokovic's first loss at Wimbledon since the 2013 final. Read more

Novak Djokovic cries after losing to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic cries after losing to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon.

Moscow blames Ukraine for new attack on bridge linking annexed Crimea to Russia

Traffic on the key bridge connecting Crimea to Russia’s mainland has been halted after one of its sections was blown up in what Russian officials say was a Ukrainian attack. Russia said the attack early Monday had been staged by the Ukrainian special services and involved two sea drones. Ukraine has not publicly claimed responsibility. Meanwhile, Russia has halted an unprecedented wartime deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices have pushed people into poverty.  Read more

Traffic on the key bridge connecting Crimea to Russia’s mainland was halted on Monday, July 17, after reports of explosions that Crimean officials said were from a Ukrainian attack.
Traffic on the key bridge connecting Crimea to Russia’s mainland was halted on Monday, July 17, after reports of explosions that Crimean officials said were from a Ukrainian attack.

More news to know now

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

Deadly flash flooding kills at least five in Pennsylvania

Heavy rains continue to pound the Northeast, prompting more flash floods, travel delays and power cuts.

In Pennsylvania, Bucks County officials said it's "very possible" there could be more victims of fast-rising floodwaters after at least five people were killed over the weekend. Other parts of the East Coast were slammed with pounding rain, including hard-hit Vermont, which experienced days of flooding last week.

  • Two children remain missing after the deluge caused many drivers to abandon their cars in the water, which in some places rose to 5 feet above the roadway.

  • Over 1,400 flights were canceled and more than 7,200 delayed as of Sunday evening due to severe weather.

  • Monday's forecast: Both coasts will face extreme weather, with a chance of flooding in the East and dangerous heat levels in the West. The Midwest will also see continued effects of wildfire smoke.

Donald Trump has a big lead for the GOP nomination

Former President Donald Trump has built a huge lead in polls despite − or because of − two indictments and two other ongoing investigations, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other GOP candidates are scrambling for ways to close the gap on the former president in the GOP presidential race. Meanwhile, DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and others are fanning out across the country looking for supporters, particularly in Iowa, which begins the nomination process with caucuses on Jan. 15. Read more

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The CPB One app is driving down border crossings, officials say

The U.S. government’s two-pronged approach at the U.S.-Mexico border – migrants now use a smartphone-based app to start the asylum process and face deportation if they make an unauthorized border crossing – is leading to a steep drop in the number of migrants intercepted at the border, according to U.S. officials. Officials tout U.S. Custom and Border Protection’s new CBP One app for smartphones and other border policies as key reasons in the decline at the border, though migrant and human rights advocates note that other factors – including coils of razor wire along the Texas banks of the Rio Grande – could also be playing a role. Read more

Quick hits

Photo of the day: Inter Miami CF unveils Lionel Messi

After weeks of anticipation, Lionel Messi has finally signed with Inter Miami CF and was unveiled in front of his new home crowd in the rain at DRV PNK Stadium on Sunday night. Meanwhile, ticket prices for the squad's upcoming games skyrocketed. Read more

Lionel Messi is presented his new jersey by owners of Inter Miami CF David Beckham, Jose R. Mas and Jorge Mas.
Lionel Messi is presented his new jersey by owners of Inter Miami CF David Beckham, Jose R. Mas and Jorge Mas.

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: Wimbledon, Alcaraz, Djokovic, Ukraine, Russia, weather, flooding, heat, Trump, Messi: Daily Briefing