'A sign of hope' amid famine fears
As fears of famine grow, the first ship loaded with humanitarian aid has set sail for Gaza. The special counsel over President Joe Biden's classified documents case was at the center of a contentious House hearing. And the fallout continues from the deadly shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
👋 Hi! It’s Laura Davis here to get you caught up on Tuesday’s top news.
But first: Giddy up, y'all! 🤠🎶 Beyoncé has revealed the name of her highly anticipated "Act II" album: "Cowboy Carter." Here's everything we know.
Aid ship heads to Gaza as famine looms
The first humanitarian aid ship using a new maritime corridor departed Cyprus on Tuesday and headed to Gaza, where more than 2 million people face an increasing threat of starvation and reports of malnutrition-related deaths are rising, according to health officials and aid organizations. The food shortage and exorbitant prices for what's available are especially dire in the north amid Israel's restrictions on aid.
Shipment incoming: The vessel, towing a barge with 200 tons of food collected by the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, carries the first shipment of aid sent by sea to the territory since the war started. While its load of rice, flour and protein isn't nearly enough to head off a famine, officials said many more ships will take the same journey in the coming days and weeks. 📍 The latest updates from Gaza.
🗣️ What they're saying: "The departure of the first ship is a sign of hope. We will work hard together for many more ships to follow," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "We will do everything in our power for aid to reach Palestinians."
Israeli military confirms death of U.S.-Israeli soldier who went missing Oct. 7.
Special counsel defends Biden documents report
In a lively hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday morning, special counsel Robert Hur defended his report on President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents – and his explosive commentary on Biden's memory and demeanor.
In the report: Hur did not recommend the Justice Department charge Biden with any crimes for retaining classified documents. But the report described Biden as a "well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory" and said he couldn't remember important details about his own life – something Biden's team forcefully pushed back on.
Today's hearing: Hur's appearance before Congress was rife with finger-pointing from both sides of the aisle, with Republicans accusing Hur of going easy on the president and Democrats attacking Republicans for using the report for political gain. 🔎 Here are five takeaways.
Will Trump and Biden clinch? Both are in cruise control on the way to their parties' presumptive nominations, and tonight's primaries could make it official.
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Uvalde police chief resigns
The police chief in Uvalde, Texas, resigned Tuesday morning, less than a week after a city-commissioned report absolved department leadership and responding officers of wrongdoing in the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary. Chief Daniel Rodriguez, who has led the department since 2018, was out of town on vacation when a gunman killed 19 children and two adults on May 24, 2022.
Incredulous families: Even though a comprehensive U.S. Justice Department report found that law enforcement failed the victims – and that others could have survived if authorities had stormed the classroom sooner – a consultant hired by the city of Uvalde found no wrongdoing by Uvalde officers, leaving victims' parents infuriated.
🌎 Back to Earth
Welcome back, astronauts! An international crew of spacefarers has safely returned to Earth in the SpaceX Dragon Endurance after spending nearly six months aboard the International Space Station prepping NASA for deep-space missions. The four people who were part of the NASA-funded Crew-7 mission made a fiery landing Tuesday morning when they splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.
What were they doing? The Crew-7 members spent their 199-day stint in low-Earth orbit contributing to a variety of science experiments, some of which were to help prepare NASA for future crewed lunar missions under its Artemis program as it sets the stage for expeditions to Mars. 🚀 Here's what else they were up to up there.
A break from the news
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Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Humanitarian aid to Gaza, Biden classified documents, Uvalde shooting: Tuesday's news
