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| Happy Monday, Daily Briefing readers! A massive heat wave is set to cover much of the United States this week, bringing above-average temperatures to millions. And you can blame it on a "heat dome." In Olympics news, the U.S. men's gymnastics team have their eye on a podium finish for the first time in more than a decade. |
| It's Jane, with Monday's news. |
| 🔴 New this morning: Border Patrol agents in Texas are detaining thousands of migrants each day as illegal crossings hit record highs. |
| 🔵 "Sometimes it's hard": Simone Biles acknowledged struggling with the weight of expectations, a day after the U.S. women's gymnastics team struggled in qualifying. |
| 👰🏼 "Most important day of her life": Lady Kitty Spencer, Princess Diana's niece, stunned in a gorgeous wedding dress designed by Dolce & Gabbana. |
| 😷 "Under active consideration": Dr. Anthony Fauci says the CDC is weighing whether to recommend that even fully vaccinated people wear masks in public as COVID-19 cases climb. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear how revised mask guidelines and new COVID-19 restrictions might be on the way. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
Heat wave to cover huge swath of US this week |
| A giant heat wave is expected to spread across much of the continental U.S. this week, bringing temperatures at least 5 to 10 degrees higher than average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Blame it on a "heat dome" – the result of a strong change in ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean during the preceding winter, says the National Ocean Service. The high temperatures won't help firefighters battling at least 88 major wildfires raging across 13 states, including one in Oregon that has burned through 640 square miles. |
 | | What exactly is a "heat dome?" | | USA TODAY | |
Men's gymnastics takes center stage at Olympics |
| The Tokyo Olympics resume Monday with Team USA aiming to build on its bounce back performances Sunday. Many eyes will be on the the men's gymnastics team final, where Team USA members Brody Malone, Sam Mikulak, Yul Moldauer and Shane Wiskus will look to earn a medal in the team competition for the first time since 2008 when they earned bronze. Later in the day, Katie Ledecky — who won the silver medal in the women's 400-meter freestyle — returns to the pool for a 1500-meter freestyle heat. Team USA will also be in action for women's basketball when they open their Olympic run against Nigeria. |
| 📲 Want behind-the-scenes access to the Tokyo Olympics? Sign up for USA TODAY's Olympic texts for exclusive access to the Games and athletes chasing gold. |
Biden meets with Iraqi prime minister at White House |
| President Joe Biden welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to the White House Monday amid reports the two countries may be ready to announce the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of the year. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said last week that discussions between the two governments "have been extremely constructive and are ongoing" but would not say whether Biden is planning to announce a specific date. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, however, said he expected an agreement to be announced that U.S. fighting forces will not remain in Iraq. The U.S. still has about 2,500 troops in the country after a series of drawdowns in recent years. |
What else people are reading: |
| 🔴 Robert 'Bob' Parris Moses, the architect of Mississippi's Freedom Summer and a famed leader of the civil rights movement, has died. He was 86. |
| 💉 "No enforcement provision": In May it seemed as if the pandemic were being beaten back. But in the past two weeks, COVID-19 cases have increased 171%. |
| 🔵 A Texas man was arrested after telling a Bumble match of his participation in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to court documents. |
| 🏋️♂️ The "dark side" of bodybuilding: Big biceps, toned abs and cut calves – it's what society deems as the perfectly sculpted body, but is it always healthy? |
Thousands without power after tornadoes spin through Michigan |
| Michigan is reeling on Monday from damage caused by heavy rains and tornadoes over the weekend. Detroit, still recovering from flooding over a week ago, accumulated another 1-2 inches of rain during a wave of storms Saturday that led to flooding in the area. The National Weather Service said tornadoes struck near Detroit and Flint on Saturday, where one person suffered minor injuries. The weather service also received reports of tornadoes in Port Austin, Armada and Oakland County. About 121,328 DTE customers were without power as of Sunday afternoon, according to the DTE outage center. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories on Sunday |
| 🔵 That's more like it: After getting shut out from the podium on Day 1, the medals started rolling in for Team USA during Sunday's early action in the Tokyo Olympics. |
| 🏀 Opinion: If you want to call Gregg Popovich the greatest coach in NBA history, go right ahead. But let's be as direct and to the point: He stinks at Olympic basketball. |
| 🤸🏾♀️ Simone Biles and the U.S. women's gymnastics team looked far from a golden juggernaut, coming in second to Russia in qualifying. |
| 🔴 "Ridiculous" and "preposterous": Kate Beckinsale revealed she hadn't seen her daughter in two years because of the coronavirus pandemic. |
Talks on bipartisan infrastructure bill in final stages |
| Senators on Capitol Hill are pushing this week to finalize a bipartisan infrastructure bill that would provide funding for roads, bridges, broadband internet and other projects. Republicans on Wednesday blocked the start of formal debate on the bill, a core part of President Joe Biden's economic plan, because the bill text and cost weren't available as negotiations continued. The bill needs to clear a 60-vote threshold to succeed. Senators continue to haggle over details on transit and how to pay for the entire package, which totals roughly $1.2 trillion. |
📸 American gymnasts defy gravity in stunning images from Tokyo 📸 |
 | | July 25: Sunisa Lee competes on the uneven bars in the women's gymnastics qualifications. | | Danielle Parhizkaran, USA TODAY Network | |
| Simone Biles and the U.S. women's gymnastics team had a rough day in qualifying Sunday, finishing more than a point behind Russia. Check out this gallery of gymnasts performing gravity-defying feats at the Olympics. |
| The Daily Briefing is free, but several stories we link to in this edition are subscriber-only. Please support our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today. |
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