Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Gen. Mark Milley to testify in Congress on Afghanistan

Democratic leaders scramble to avoid a shutdown, top Pentagon officials to testify on Afghanistan and more news to start your Tuesday. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
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Daily Briefing
 
Tuesday, September 28
In this Sept. 1, 2021, file photo Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington about the end of the war in Afghanistan.
Gen. Mark Milley to testify in Congress on Afghanistan
Democratic leaders scramble to avoid a shutdown, top Pentagon officials to testify on Afghanistan and more news to start your Tuesday.

Good morning, Daily Briefing readers! Senate Republicans blocked debate on extending funding for the federal government and raising the debt limit, meaning a government shutdown could be on the way. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and other top Pentagon officials will testify before lawmakers on the United States' chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. And, another Britney Spears documentary is heading to screens – this time, it's "Britney vs. Spears."

It's Jane, with Tuesday's news.

πŸ“© "New service standards": Americans who have been frustrated with the slow service of the U.S. Postal Service probably won't be thrilled to hear this: The service is about to get even slower.

🏈 "Yes, Tennessee's decision to replace Army with an easier opponent — Akron — for its Sept. 17, 2022, game is disheartening," writes Blake Toppmeyer in this op-ed. "It's also dishonorable and shameful."

🌏 Prince William and Michael Bloomberg write for USA TODAY: We're in a race to save the Earth from climate change

πŸ”΄ "Thank you so much for all that you've done for her": A woman on TikTok wasn't afraid to show her death. In the process, she helped others live.

⚖️ "Justice was finally served": Following weeks of testimony, R. Kelly was convicted on all counts in his New York sex-trafficking trial. But what happens now?

A jury in Brooklyn convicted the 54-year-old R&B star on all nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering.
A jury in Brooklyn convicted the 54-year-old R&B star on all nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering.
USA TODAY

Here's what's happening today:

Congress scrambles to avoid shutdown after GOP senators block funding bill

Democratic leaders are continuing to scramble Tuesday in efforts to avoid a government shutdown and default after Senate Republicans blocked debate on extending funding for the federal government and raising the debt limit.  The Senate voted 48-50 to begin debate on the measure the House already passed. Sixty votes were needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. The bill would have extended government funding to Dec. 3 and suspended the debt limit until Dec. 16, 2022.  The measure also would have provided $28.6 billion for disaster assistance and $6.3 billion for Afghan refugees. Democrats must now find another way to keep the government operating and the country borrowing. Without a funding extension, the federal government will shut down Friday.  

Pentagon officials to testify before Congress on Afghanistan withdrawal 

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and U.S. Central Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday and the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday in their first public testimony since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have criticized the Biden administration's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal last month, putting an end to a 20-year war. Lawmakers will specifically grill Milley on allegations from a new book that he assured China the U.S. would not launch a nuclear strike in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.  

What else people are reading:

πŸ“Ί  "Monday Night Football": How ESPN put its trust in Peyton and Eli Manning with its new broadcast.

πŸ₯š A presidential egging: French leader Emmanuel Macron was hit on the shoulder by an egg thrown at him by a young man in the city of Lyon.

🎀 "You stabbed me in the back": Move over, Kelly Clarkson. Blake Shelton has a new archenemy on "The Voice" – Ariana Grande

πŸ”΄ "We found each other": Cameron Diaz is reflecting on her romance with husband Benji Madden.

🚨 An "aberration": The FBI reported a nearly 30% increase in murders in 2020, the largest single-year jump since the bureau began recording crime statistics six decades ago.

Violence stalked most major cities, the FBI report found.
Violence stalked most major cities, the FBI report found.
USA TODAY

The Obama presidential center expected to finally break ground after pushback

The Obama Presidential Center is expected to break ground Tuesday amid years of pushback. Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are expected to be in Chicago for the ceremony at 1:15 p.m. CT. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot are also expected to attend. The $500 million center, designed by architects Todd Williams and Billie Tsien, will be in Jackson Park on the city's South Side and consist of a museum, forum, public library, plaza, playground and pedestrian and bicycle paths. Several local groups, including park preservationists and a coalition of community organizations, have raised concerns about the project for years.  

DHS to publish proposed rule to 'preserve and fortify' DACA

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will publish a proposed rule Tuesday that would "preserve and fortify" the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA . The memorandum called for the DHS to exercise "prosecutorial discretion" for young children who came to the USA illegally, also known as "Dreamers." A DHS notice of the proposed rule said: "DACA recipients should not be a priority for removal."The move comes months after a federal judge in Texas ruled the program illegal and halted its acceptance of applications. The judge ruled DACA violated the U.S. Constitution because it undermines Congress' authority on immigration laws. The Biden administration appealed that ruling.

ICYMI: Some of our top stories Monday

πŸš” Gabby Petito case: The manhunt for Brian Laundrie in a Florida nature reserve will be scaled back, days after a coroner said his fiancee Petito died by homicide.

πŸ•ΊπŸΎ "Dancing With the Stars" pro Cheryl Burke, who is partnered this season with Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby, has tested positive for COVID-19.

πŸŽ‚ Happy birthday, Google: The search giant's latest doodle celebrated an important birthday: its own.

'Britney vs. Spears': Netflix releases conservatorship documentary

Another Britney Spears documentary is heading to a streaming service. "Britney vs. Spears," directed by Erin Lee Carr, will hit Netflix Tuesday — the day before the pop star's next hearing on her conservatorship. "This is a two-and-a-half years-long investigative process into the conservatorship," Carr said. "We wanted to be the definitive place to understand the beginning, middle and hopefully what we will find out as the end of this saga." On Sept. 7, Britney Spears' father Jamie Spears filed a petition to end his daughter's conservatorship that he has controlled at least in part for the last 13 years. However, Judge Brenda Penny, the probate judge who oversees the case, will have the final say.  

πŸ“Έ NFL fans, cheerleaders and mascots celebrate in costume πŸ“Έ

Jacksonville Jaguars mascot Jackson DeVille practices a stunt prior to the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Arizona Cardinals at TIAA Bank Field.
Jacksonville Jaguars mascot Jackson DeVille practices a stunt prior to the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Arizona Cardinals at TIAA Bank Field.
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

What would the NFL be without its fans, cheerleaders and mascots, many of them dressed up in elaborate costumes?  Check out our gallery of the fun captured by photographers all around the country so far this year.

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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