Daily Briefing: A visit to an abortion clinic
VP Harris will use an historic visit to a Minnesota abortion clinic to showcase what the Biden administration has done to protect Americans' reproductive rights. Also in the news: Israel claims it can relocate displaced Palestinians to "islands" ahead of its offensive in Rafah and we've analyzed the data to find who are the highest-paid college basketball coaches.
🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. It's 3.14. Happy Pi Day!
Here we go with the news to know Thursday.
Kamala Harris to visit Minnesota abortion clinic
The Biden campaign is making one thing very, very clear: A vote for President Joe Biden is a vote for the protection of reproductive rights. Just days after Biden became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris is headed to an abortion clinic in Minnesota.
The visit is believed to be the first time a president or vice president has visited a clinic that provides abortion services. Harris will draw attention to the threat to abortion services and other reproductive health services post-Roe v. Wade ahead of this year’s presidential election.
The stop in Minnesota is the sixth on Harris' nationwide “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour. She's expected to highlight how Minnesota has been impacted by abortion bans in other states that threaten women's health and force them to travel out of state to receive care, the official said.
Trump v. Biden is happening. But for many Americans, state-level elections in November could mean a bigger difference for their reproductive health.
Some states will have ballot initiatives that, if passed, could affect access for patients in their entire region, including Florida, Maryland and New York. These ballot initiatives will impact entire regions as people living in the most restrictive states seek care elsewhere.
Read more about reproductive rights from the USA TODAY Network:
A Wisconsin mom decided ending her pregnancy was her safest option. Then she had to leave the state.
The GOP foiled a surprise Democratic bid to protect contraceptive rights in Arizona.
A film about the choices involved in pregnancy debuted in Texas at SXSW.
Mississippi will allow quicker Medicaid coverage during pregnancy to try to help women and babies.
Walgreens will now dispense the abortion pill in Pennsylvania. What's behind the change?
How will Israel relocate Rafah civilians to 'humanitarian islands'?
Displaced Palestinians will have to be on the move again, this time to "humanitarian islands.'' Israel plans to relocate a large portion of the 1.4 million people sheltering in Rafah to protect them from its anticipated major offensive in the southern Gaza city as it pursues Hamas militants, officials said. It wasn't clear when a mass mobilization would start, but Israeli officials said the islands would be developed "with the international community." Read more
More news to know now
A federal judge found Flint, Michigan, missed water line replacement deadlines.
Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict’s cause of death was revealed.
Cities on both coasts struggled to remain above water this winter as sea levels rise.
A lawyer says an Epstein plea deal protects Ghislaine Maxwell, and asked a judge to ditch a conviction.
On today's The Excerpt podcast, how some school districts are working to help teachers find housing. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.
What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.
Are TikTok's days numbered?
The House voted overwhelmingly to approve a measure that would ban TikTok from operating in the United States or force a sale, posing the most serious threat yet to the popular short-form video platform. The bill now heads to the Senate where its fate is more uncertain. At issue is TikTok’s Chinese ownership. U.S. officials say parent company ByteDance could hand over the personal information of the 170 million Americans who use the popular short-video app to Beijing. But the bill’s opponents have raised concerns about free speech and the income online creators would lose should the app go away. Read more
Ohio leaders called on schools to ban or restrict cellphones.
Trump flip-flopped on on TikTok ban while Biden can't decide. Pick your presidential jockeying.
How did your representative vote on the TikTok bill?
Georgia judge dismisses 6 charges in Donald Trump case
A Georgia judge dismissed six charges Wednesday in Donald Trump’s case for allegedly trying to steal the 2020 election, saying the indictment was not specific enough against the former president and a handful of his co-defendants. But the judge said the issue of the vague indictment could be corrected and left in place 35 charges. Now, Georgia officials could seek a more detailed indictment while they also decide whether to disqualify the state's District Attorney Fani Willis and a special prosecutor from the case. Read more
Trump may appear in a Florida federal court on Thursday regarding a classified documents case.
Must-reads
Paul Alexander spent seven decades in an iron lung. Polio couldn’t take his hope.
Aaron Rodgers for VP?
Who secretly dated on "Love is Blind" and who left the reunion.
Olivia Munn revealed her breast cancer diagnosis and that she underwent a double mastectomy.
The portion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ has more than doubled in last 12 years.
Why do women experience menopause? A new study of whales gave insights.
Patagonia retail workers in Nevada formed the company's first U.S. union.
Are you a socks-on sleeper?
How racial segregation determines opportunities for American kids
More than half a century after racial segregation practices like redlining were outlawed, data suggests race still plays a huge role in determining what kind of neighborhood a child grows up in. Research released Thursday from the latest Child Opportunity Index, found that Black and Latino children in the U.S. are much more likely than their white counterparts to grow up in neighborhoods with poorer health outcomes, fewer educational opportunities and worse economic conditions. What should be done about these inequalities?
Photo of the day: She's the highest paid women's college basketball coach
A USA TODAY Sports analysis of compensation for Division I women’s basketball head coaches found LSU's Kim Mulkey is the highest paid at $3.26 million this season, edging South Carolina’s Dawn Staley and Connecticut's Geno Auriemma, who both make $3.1 million. Mulkey is one of 18 coaches making $1 million or more this year.
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: Abortion, 2024 election, Biden, Trump, TikTok, NCAA, Aaron Rodgers: Daily Briefing
