Prosecutors found classified documents on Mar-a-Lago’s floor — despite claims from Trump’s lawyers they didn’t exist. Serena Williams is serving up her second match in the U.S. Open tonight. And we remember Princess Diana 25 years after her shocking death.
🙋🏼♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert, writer of Daily Briefing, a morning news roundup from USA TODAY. What is Daily Briefing? It’s USA TODAY’s flagship morning newsletter that gives you the front page of the day with more stories to dig into if you’re curious to dive deeper. A lot of you have told us you like receiving Daily Briefing instead of 5 Things to Know. Please keep submitting your thoughts via this form here! If you have shared feedback — thank you. Now, let’s get started with Wednesday’s news.
Justice Department officials told a federal judge late Tuesday that the appointment of a special master to oversee a review of documents seized from former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate earlier this month would impede the government’s investigation. The probe has already uncovered evidence of obstruction. Read more
One thing to know: Justice officials asserted a potentially damning counterpoint to claims by Trump’s lawyers they cooperated with authorities leading up to the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago.
Serena Williams will lead off the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium again Wednesday, this time against the No. 2-ranked player in women’s tennis. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion faces second-seeded Anett Kontaveit of Estonia, trying to prolong what could be the last tournament of her career. Another win will only increase the attention, and ardor, of tennis fans and turn up the volume on talk about whether this could be another turn-back-the-clock U.S. Open story. Read more
An excessive, prolonged heat wave will further parch large swaths of California in the longest and hottest heat wave of the year, according to forecasters at the National Weather Service. Warnings went into effect in San Diego and Orange counties as well as in Southern California’s inland counties, and will spread north through the Los Angeles region and San Joaquin Valley on Wednesday. As the heat wave expands into Northern California throughout the weekend, temperatures could hit trip-digits, heightening the risk of heat-related illness. Read more
Above all, there was shock. That’s the word people use when they remember Princess Diana’s death in a Paris car crash 25 years ago this week. The woman the world watched grow from a shy teenage nursery school teacher into a glamorous celebrity who comforted AIDS patients and campaigned for land mine removal couldn’t be dead at the age of 36. Could she? But it was that shock that cemented Diana’s legacy as the woman who brought lasting change to Britain’s royal family, helping it bridge the gap between centuries of tradition and a new, multi-cultural nation in the internet age. Read more
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Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union and for many the man who restored democracy to then-communist-ruled European nations, was mourned Wednesday. His legacy was remembered a rare leader who changed the world and for a time gave hope for peace among the superpowers. Gorbachev, who died in Moscow on Tuesday at the age of 91, was also blamed by many in his country for the 1991 implosion of the Soviet Union. The loss of pride and power also led to the eventual rise of Vladimir Putin, who has spent the past quarter-century trying to restore Russia to its former glory and beyond. Read more
Armed supporters of a powerful Iraqi cleric who clashed with security forces in the capital began to withdraw from the streets Tuesday, restoring a measure of calm after a serious escalation of the nation’s political crisis. Read more
Click here to see more photos of political demonstrations in Iraq.
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Associated Press contributed reporting.
