President Joe Biden leveled accusations at “MAGA Republicans” in an address the White House says wasn’t about the midterms. Serena Williams is back on the court tonight for another battle in the U.S. Open. Reading this from the airport? Keep scrolling to know what to do if your flight is canceled or delayed during the long weekend.
🙋🏼♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert.Whew 🏎 we’ve reached the end of the week! It’s been a ride of breaking news, deeper-dives and some seriously good tennis. But before you close your phone and switch on the weekend, how did you like receiving Daily Briefing instead of 5 Things to Know this week? Share your impressions via this form here! Now let’s do the news.
🌅 Up first: A Dolly Parton wig for dogs? Here’s how Doggy Parton could turn your pet into The Queen of County.
President Joe Biden said “MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards” in a prime-time address to the nation Thursday, urging Americans to “stand up” to defend democracy and “choose a better path forward.” The White House claimed the speech (located in battleground state Pennsylvania) wasn’t in light of the midterm elections less than 70 days away. Read more
One takeaway: The president focused less on the winning message of abortion rights and more on his predecessor and those who subscribe to the Make America Great Again movement.
Serena Williams will try to stretch her last Grand Slam tournament, facing Ajla Tomljanovic, Friday in a third-round matchup at the U.S. Open. It’s the opening match of the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the same spot from which Williams won her first two matches after saying she was preparing to end her tennis career. Tomljanovic, a 29-year-old Australian, is ranked 46th and a self-proclaimed fan of Williams — and facing Serena is not easy for Open opponents who look up to her. Read more
Pat Cipollone, White House counsel under former President Donald Trump, and his top deputy are set to appear Friday before a federal grand jury investigating efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday. Cipollone would be the most senior known member of the Trump White House to be called before the grand jury, a significant step in the federal investigation. The former White House official testified last month before the House committee in its separate examination of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack. Read more
Friday’s jobs report for August shows employers added 315,000 jobs in spite of softer consumer spending gains, rising interest rates and a sputtering economy. The portion of Americans working or looking for jobs jumped from 62.1% to 62.4%, matching the recent peak in March but still well below the pre-pandemic level of 63.4%. That share had been rising as workers returned to a hot labor market after caring for children or staying idle because of COVID-19 fears. But it broadly edged down in recent months, suggesting widespread labor shortages could persist and push pay increases higher. That likely would further fuel inflation that’s close to a 40-year high. Read more
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A man was detained Thursday night after he aimed a handgun at point-blank range toward Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández in what President Alberto Fernández called a homicide attempt. He said the gun didn’t fire and she is unharmed. In a video aired on local broadcast, Fernández is seen exiting her vehicle surrounded by supporters outside her home when a man could be seen extending his hand with what looked like a pistol. The vice president ducked. Her supporters have been gathering outside her home for days after a prosecutor called for a 12-year sentence for Fernández in a case involving alleged corruption in public works. Read more
Thursday night brought wins and losses for the early days of this year’s college football season. Penn State scored 35-31 win at Purdue, one of the top teams from the Big Ten West, prepping the team to focus on upcoming games against Ohio, Auburn, Central Michigan and Northwestern. Click here to check out who else played last night.
See more incredible photos from Week 1 of the college football season.
What happened this week? 🤔 Serena Williams shining at the U.S. Open, NASA’s scrubbed rocket launch and a Nebraska man’s record-breaking pumpkin paddle. Test your memory with this week’s News Quiz.
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.
