Daily Briefing: Is hantavirus in the US?
Nicole FallertWelcome to the Daily Briefing. Begin with these reads:
- Trump threatened air strikes amid tenuous peace talks with Iran.
- Ted Turner left a massive legacy to his five children.
- Alaska's 1,578-foot tsunami was second largest ever recorded.
Nicole Fallert here. bringing you the news to know on Thursday, from hantavirus in America to a redistricting push in Alabama.
US monitoring passengers returning from ship in hantavirus outbreak
Residents in Georgia, Arizona and California are being monitored for potential hantavirus infection after traveling on a luxury cruise ship that was hit with a deadly outbreak, according to reports.
The outbreak may have started with a passenger who boarded the vessel after he was infected with the virus, according to a health expert with the World Health Organization.
The virus has been identified as the Andes virus, the only species of hantavirus that can be transmitted from one person to another. Hantavirus typically spreads through contact with the urine, feces or saliva of infected rodents and human-to-human transmission is uncommon. Track the virus here.
More news to know now
- Trump reignites pope feud: Tensions between the two leaders sparked as Secretary of State Marco Rubio is slated for a high-stakes visit to the Vatican on Thursday.
- Destroying 420,000 clingstone peach trees: California growers are set to destroy thousands of peach trees after the collapse of a decades-long partnership with Del Monte Foods left farmers without buyers for tens of thousands of tons of fruit.
- Meet the hockey CEO cashing in on your kid's team. A nine-month USA TODAY investigation found that Murry Gunty, founder of Blackstreet Capital Holdings, used his private investment firm’s youth sports arm, Black Bear Sports Group, to rapidly buy up ice rinks and teams across the Northeast and Midwest and then leveraged that control to steer families into its own costly ecosystem of leagues, tournaments and fees.
2026 Midterm Elections
Alabama speeds toward redistricting
An Alabama special legislative session drew widespread protest this week as state lawmakers consider redrawing congressional maps that favor Republicans, according to the Montgomery Advertiser, part of the USA TODAY Network. Alabama's May 19 primary is set to go ahead, with governor and U.S. Senate races on the ballot.
Remembrance
Atlanta media icon leaves massive legacy
Ted Turner, the former owner of the Atlanta Braves, founder of CNN, philanthropist and media mogul who changed the news landscape in America, has died at the age of 87. Turner became known as the "Mouth of the South" as he built a broadcasting empire and developed the nation's first 24-hour news cycle. He passed after a battle with Lewy body dementia, a progressive form of the condition. Jane Fonda, his spouse for a decade, remembered Turner "wasn’t your average human being."
Before you go
- Is your pet the cutest in the state?
- Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo won't race at Preakness Stakes.
- Your favorite music stars are canceling their tours.
Have feedback on the Daily Briefing? Shoot Nicole an email at [email protected].