United States of America eSeries: A catastrophe in Miami

Thursday, June 24

Nearly 100 are missing after a Surfside condo collapsed. And Biden reached a bipartisan infrastructure compromise. It's Thursday's news.

Close to 100 people are unaccounted for and at least one person was killed when a condo collapsed near Miami. Rudy Giuliani was barred from practicing law in New York for making "false and misleading statements" about the 2020 election. And the federal eviction moratorium was extended.

👋 It's Laura. Here's all the news you need to know Thursday.

But first, 🎶 I just took a DNA test, turns out, I'm 100% NOT fish. 🎶 Is the tuna at Subway made of actual fish? The New York Times checked it out and discovered something decidedly ... un-fishy about the sandwich chain's claims.

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What happened in Surfside?

At least one person was killed and nearly 100 people were still unaccounted for after a part of a high-rise condominium building collapsed into a mammoth pile of twisted steel and concrete Thursday morning. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Thursday afternoon that 102 people have so far been accounted for. Residents seeking to flee the building screamed for help, and some were plucked from the building by firefighters using ladders. Mayor Charles Burkett said Champlain Towers South, the 12-story condominium in Surfside, Florida, "pancaked." About half of the building's more than 130 units were affected. Why the building collapsed was not immediately known.

👉 This story is developing. Keep an eye on our comprehensive coverage here.

•	The building was sinking into the earth: A study released in 2020 found the condo building was sinking at a rate of about 2 millimeters a year in the 1990s.
•	Heartbreaking images capture the Surfside building collapse and rescue efforts.
•	What we know: A closer look at Champlain Towers South, the building that partially collapsed.
•	'I have no hope': Family, friends desperate for information after condo collapse.

This aerial photo shows part of the 12-story oceanfront Champlain Towers South Condo that collapsed early Thursday, June 24, 2021 in Surfside, Fla.

Amy Beth Bennett, South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP

Rudy Giuliani's 'false and misleading' claims got him suspended from practicing law

Rudy Giuliani, once a federal prosecutor in New York, has been barred from practicing law in the state for making "false and misleading statements" while working for former President Donald Trump. Giuliani made "demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large in his capacity as lawyer for President Donald J. Trump" in his attempt to overturn election results, according to a 33-page decision by the New York Supreme Court. Giuliani, a former mayor of New York and a longtime fixture in New York City politics, has been at the forefront of Trump's failed effort to reverse the results of the election he lost.

Attorney for the President, Rudy Giuliani speaks to the media at a press conference held in the back parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping on November 7, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The press conference took place just minutes after news networks announced that Joe Biden had won the presidency over Donald Trump after it was projected that he had won the state of Pennsylvania.

Chris McGrath, Getty Images

What everyone's talking about

•	Britney Spears' forced IUD sparks important conversations about disability, reproductive rights.
•	'He's one of us': NFL players share support for Carl Nassib, want locker room to be welcoming to all.
•	Millions of people with felonies can now vote after widespread reform. Most don't know it.
•	After criticism of 'racist' packaging, Aunt Jemima pancake mix, syrup replaced with a new brand.

'We have a deal'

Breaking a long stalemate, President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of 21 senators reached a compromise Thursday to modernize the nation's deteriorating transportation and public works systems, putting the president on track to pass the first plank of his sweeping infrastructure agenda. The breakthrough ends a weeks-long stalemate over the price tag and how to pay for what would be the largest transportation package ever approved by Congress. The $1.2 trillion plan includes $579 billion in new spending and focuses only on physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, rail, broadband internet, water and sewer pipes, and electric vehicles. It proposes several ways to pay for the spending that avoid a gas tax increase that Biden resisted and a corporate tax hike that Republicans opposed. "We have a deal," Biden said.

•	$1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal gaining steam on Capitol Hill.
•	Fearing for their lives, thousands of Afghan interpreters who worked with U.S. military will be relocated.
•	President Biden nominates Cindy McCain for U.N. ambassador-level position.
•	Inflation is real: As prices rise fast, White House and the Fed work to ease fears.

A long traffic jam.

GETTY IMAGES

Committee to investigate US Capitol riot

Calling the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol "a day of darkness," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday announced she will create a select committee to investigate the attack. "It is imperative we seek the truth about what happened," Pelosi said. She decided to create the select committee "with great solemnity and sadness" because she preferred the bipartisan committee. The Capitol was stormed by a pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6, as members of Congress had gathered to count the Electoral College votes affirming Joe Biden's election victory. The violence sent Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress, including Pelosi, into hiding. Congressional Democrats have accused Republicans of downplaying the events of Jan. 6. Republicans say Democrats are using the commission for political gain.

In her announcement, Pelosi said it is "imperative" to find out the truth of what happened that day.

USA TODAY

Real quick

•	751 bodies discovered at an Indigenous school in Saskatchewan.
•	In a fiery speech, Gen. Mark Milley defends critical race theory against GOP lawmakers.
•	Two gun rights activists were tricked into giving a fake graduation speech.
•	NCAA loses in court again as name, image and likeness suit moves forward.

Eviction moratorium extended

More than 6 million households are at risk for eviction, and the only thing keeping some renters in their homes is a federal moratorium on evictions. The CDC announced Thursday a 30-day extension to federal protection for renters through July 31. The moratorium prevents tenants who are behind on rent from being removed from housing on public health grounds amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The order itself does not eliminate rental costs for families, leaving millions of families behind on payments.

•	Missouri is newest U.S. hot spot for COVID-19 because of variant, vaccine hesitancy.

Organizers with Housing Long Beach, a local advocacy group pushing for rent control and eviction protections, hang up a sign in the courtyard of an apartment complex on Cedar Avenue.

Katie Falkenberg/Los Angeles Times

A break from the news

•	💔 Why are we losing friends? The pandemic isn't fully at fault.
•	💵 Is it ever a good idea to buy hotel points or airline miles? Here's when it makes sense.
•	🏡 How a couple with 3 kids paid off their mortgage in 10 years without totally depriving themselves.

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.