USA vs. France, Stonewall Forever, G-20 Summit: 5 things to know Friday
50 year anniversary of raid at Stonewall Inn that sparked LGBTQ movement
On June 28, 1969, college student Martin Boyce was outside lower Manhattan's Stonewall Inn bar with a friend when he heard a commotion. Word spread about a raid. As he moved closer to the bar, he watched as a police officer pushed a drag queen, who kicked the cop in the shoulder with a heel. Boyce heard "flesh and bone against metal" followed by the officer's command: "Get out of there, you fags, the show is over." This scene prompted Boyce and others in the LGBTQ crowd to stand up for themselves. The Stonewall riot gave rise to a gay-rights movement that extended beyond New York City and has spanned decades.
Women's World Cup: Team USA takes on France in epic clash
Billed as "the biggest match of the summer" the United States will face off against host France in the FIFA Women's World Cup quarterfinals Friday (Fox, 3 p.m. ET). Both teams went unbeaten in group play and dug deep to pull out wins in the Round of 16. Now, they meet head-to-head for the first time since January, when France beat the USWNT 3-1. Many experts, including USA TODAY Sports' Nancy Armour, are considering Friday's clash as the biggest game in women's soccer history. Trying to get a ticket while you're in Paris? You might need extra Euros and fast. The match has added tension after stars Megan Rapinoe and Ali Krieger clashed with President Donald Trump on Twitter earlier in the week.
President Trump meets Russia's Vladimir Putin at G20 Summit in Japan
President Donald Trump is in Osaka on Friday for the G20 Summit, which brings together world leaders from 19 wealthy nations and the European Union. Three years after Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election triggered federal investigations, Trump asked Russian President Vladimir Putin not to do it again in 2020 – though he did so quickly and playfully. "Don't meddle in the election," Trump said in joking manner Friday. When an interpreter translated Trump's "request," Putin laughed. The entreaty came after opening statements in which Trump said that "it's a great honor to be with President Putin," and that they would discuss issues like trade and nuclear disarmament. He said nothing at that point about election interference.
Charlottesville neo-Nazi murderer to face charges
James Fields Jr., a neo-Nazi who plowed his car into a crowd of peaceful counterprotesters at the Virginia “Unite the Right” rally which killed a woman, will face charges on Friday in Charlottesville. Fields killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injured dozens of other counterprotesters on Aug. 12, 2017. Prosecutors will push for life in prison for Fields, 22, while his lawyers will plead for mercy for their client. Heyer’s mother told USA TODAY that she believes anything less than a life sentence would send the wrong message, especially to those looking to copy Fields’ act.
Extreme, dangerous heat to scorch Europe
Several countries in Europe are preparing for what could be the hottest day yet on Friday after high heat again blazed the continent. The heat in France will be particularly brutal, forecasters said, as the nation's weather service Meteo France issued its highest-level danger alert. In Italy, authorities have instructed people to avoid being outside during the hottest hours of the day. The blistering weather has already made its impact in Germany and Spain, where hundreds of firefighters struggled to contain a wildfire in northeastern Spain that forced evacuations. Although the World Meteorological Organization said "it is premature to attribute the unusually early heat wave to climate change," extreme heat waves are among the clearest connections to human-caused climate change, numerous studies have indicated, including one from the National Academy of Sciences.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA vs. France, Stonewall Forever, G-20 Summit: 5 things to know Friday
