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| Happy Thursday, Daily Briefing readers! Today's a good day for millions of families as monthly Child Tax Credit payments are set to land in bank accounts. Also, President Joe Biden will host German Chancellor Angela Merkel in what's likely to be her last visit to Washington as head of state. |
| It's Steve and Jane with today's news. |
| 🔴 New this morning: Prosecutions of the hundreds charged in the Jan 6. Capitol riot are just getting started. Harsher penalties loom for more violent offenders. |
| ⚖️ 'Absolutely chilling': FBI officials made false statements in the handling of sexual abuse allegations against USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, the Justice Department's inspector general said. Gymnasts, their parents and others expressed dismay, heartache and anger over the damning report. |
| 🌎 'The first conspiracy of the internet age': The TWA Flight 800 air disaster 25 years ago changed the industry. But for the families of 230 dead, the wounds never healed. |
| 🚔 This Indiana sheriff's department likes to share pursuit videos. So why won't they show what happened to Malik Ali Malik? |
| ☀️ Johnson & Johnson is recalling five sunscreen products – including by Neutrogena and Aveeno – after low levels of a chemical that can cause cancer were found in samples. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 things podcast, hear who's eligible for expanded Child Tax Credit. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| What else is happening today: |
Monthly Child Tax Credit payments set to arrive |
| Millions of families with children will see more money in their bank accounts Thursday as part of the newly expanded Child Tax Credit. Eligible families will get up to $300 monthly for each child under age 6 and up to $250 monthly for each child over age 6 but under age 18. The payments are the result of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion coronavirus-relief package passed in March. The law extended the tax credit, boosted the amount that eligible families could receive, and provided for half of the money to be made available in monthly installments at least through December. President Joe Biden does plan to extend the Child Tax Credit expansion past that December expiration, according to his administration. "We want this to be ultimately permanent," a senior administration official said. |
Biden and Germany's Merkel to meet at the White House |
| The president will host German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday in what is likely to be her last visit to Washington as head of state. The meetings will be far friendlier than the notoriously testy confrontations between Merkel and former President Donald Trump , who tussled over everything from NATO dues to the U.S. president's Twitter taunts. Still, there will be contentious issues on the agenda. Among the toughest: the split between the U.S. and Germany over Nord Stream 2, the gas pipeline that would run from Russia to Germany and that U.S. fears will give Moscow increased leverage over Europe. A senior administration official said Biden will raise his objections over the pipeline with Merkel. |
What else people are reading: |
| 🔵 How a father never gave up: A man's son was kidnapped as a toddler 24 years ago. DNA testing just found him. |
| 🔵 Was it a lightning strike? Or vandalism? The mayor of Toledo, Ohio, said "we may never know" what destroyed a mural honoring George Floyd. |
| 🔵 'Tragically dry': As Western wildfires rage on, the region is not expected to get any helpful rain for at least a week. In Oregon, a blaze may burn until fall. |
| 🔵 'Another stark warning': Parts of the Amazon rainforest are emitting more carbon dioxide than they absorb. |
| 🔵 Ursula Burns, the first Black woman to run a Fortune 500 company, isn't willing to wait another few decades for more diversity at the top of America's corporations. |
Britney Spears wins right to choose own lawyer in conservatorship case |
| Britney Spears' efforts to end her 13-year conservatorship continue Thursday, but with one major development: She now has an attorney of her own choosing. A judge in Los Angeles on Wednesday granted the pop star's request to hire Mathew Rosengart, a former federal prosecutor-turned-skilled litigator. During the hearing, Spears dialed in and said that she wanted to press charges for abuse. Hours later, she posted a video on Instagram riding a horse and doing cartwheels with a caption thanking her fans, using the hashtag #FreeBritney: "You have no idea what it means to me [to] be supported by such awesome fans !!!!" |
 | | Pop star Britney Spears spoke at her conservatorship hearing on July 14, 2021. | | USA TODAY graphic | |
Also on Thursday: |
| ⚾ Back to work: Major League Baseball's second half begins as the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox head to the Bronx to face their longtime rival, the New York Yankees. The Red Sox have started the 2021 season 6-0 against the Yankees. |
| 📺 'We're so excited!': The Magnolia Network, a partnership between Chip and Joanna Gaines and Discovery, launches today on the Discovery+ streaming service with more than 150 hours of unscripted programming covering home, design, food, gardening and other topics. |
 | | Chip and Joanna Gaines have launched Magnolia Network, a collaboration with Discovery. | | Courtesy of Magnolia Network | |
NFL's Richard Sherman to appear in court after arrest near Seattle |
| NFL cornerback Richard Sherman, who was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of "Burglary Domestic Violence" as well as charges of resisting arrest and malicious mischief in the state of Washington, is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday, according to multiple reports. A judge will determine if there is probable cause to believe that Sherman committed a crime. The judge could set bail or order that Sherman be released. The Redmond Police Department said officers responded to a report Wednesday of an in-progress burglary and found Sherman "attempting to force entry into a family member's home."In a 911 call, obtained by Seattle radio station KIRO, Sherman's wife Ashley Moss said the star NFL player had been drinking and was threatening to harm himself. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Sen. Schumer on proposed marijuana bill |
 | | Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) appears on Capitol Hill in Washington | | Associated Press photo; USA TODAY graphic | |
| Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., plans to introduce the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, a draft bill that would decriminalize marijuana and remove it from the Controlled Substances Act. |
| That would allow pot to be regulated and taxed. The legislation would also expunge nonviolent marijuana-related arrests and convictions from federal records. |
British Open tees off, one year after COVID cancelation |
| The 149th British Open began Thursday morning at Royal St. George's Golf Club in Sandwich, southern England, the sixth and final major of the 2020-21 PGA Tour season. The tournament returns a year after it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. There will be 30,000 fans roaming the Sandwich links daily, the biggest golf crowd at a major since the pandemic. There's one major difference: Players are being kept in a strict bubble to comply with COVID-19 restrictions and are at risk of disqualification for breaching rules. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published Wednesday |
| 🏥 'Our sincerest apologies': Two employees have been placed on leave after an Ohio hospital gave a kidney to the wrong patient. |
| ⚖ 'Landslide': Michael Wolff's newest book recounts former President Donald Trump's Brett Kavanaugh rant and describes an overall chaotic end of the administration. |
| 💉 'It's limbo': Parents are stuck between two COVID-19 worlds as young kids still remain unvaccinated. |
📸 Photo of the day: Two-time NBA MVP makes an MVP play 📸 |
 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo blocks a shot by the Suns' Deandre Ayton during Game 4 of the NBA Finals. | | Jeff Hanisch, USA TODAY Sports | |
| With the Milwaukee Bucks holding on to a two-point lead late in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker tossed an alley-oop pass to Deandre Ayton. Giannis Antetokounmpo rose to the occasion to block Ayton's shot and preserve the Bucks' lead. Milwaukee went on to secure a 109-103 win and tie the series 2-2. |
| Click here to see more stunning action photos from the 2021 NBA Finals. |
| 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. |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
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