The Short List: Kentucky clerk Kim Davis goes to jail; Tom Brady can play; Europe's migrant crisis
Kim Davis is in jail now. How long will she last?
Fines would not be enough. Kim Davis — Kentucky's most famous county clerk who has defied the Supreme Court and denied marriage licenses to gay couples — makes $80,000 a year, and a lot of folks are raising money to pay any fines she might face. She can't be fired. So what could possibly compel her to comply with a judge's order to issue marriage licenses to all couples? Let's try jail, the judge said. Davis was found in contempt of court and ordered to be put in jail until she complies with U.S. District Court Judge David Bunning's order. Her continued defiance, Bunning said, would create a ripple effect among other county clerks. (Davis and two other clerks in the state had stopped issuing licenses to all couples in the wake of the landmark Supreme Court ruling allowing gay marriages, but Davis is the only one who has been sued.) "I don't do this lightly," Bunning said Thursday. "It's necessary in this case." Davis, an Apostolic Christian, said she could not obey Bunning's order because God's law trumps the court. Her conviction remains steadfast — she has even earned the respect of one couple she turned away — so only time will tell what Davis will do next. Meanwhile, five of six deputy clerks in Davis' office say they will process the paperwork starting Friday. Who's the holdout? Her son, Nathan Davis, who works alongside Mom.
Tom Brady is a very happy man today. The NFL? Not so pleased.
Point, Tom Brady. In a shocking announcement Thursday morning, federal Judge Richard Berman ruled against the NFL, nullifying the Patriots quarterback four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate scandal. This is a huge win for Brady. He can play. If you're the kind of person who's into legalese, you can read the full decision here. On Twitter, everyone from an NFL Players Association spokesperson to Brady’s teammates to other players had some thoughts. Check them out here. So boil it down. Thursday's ruling confirms what many have long thought — that the NFL overstepped its bounds in suspending Brady with nothing but circumstantial evidence. Deep dive here. But did he cheat? The judge had to look at the whole messy case, and Brady likely got off on some technicalities. So the ruling doesn't mean Brady is innocent. It means the NFL failed in how it handed out the Deflategate punishment. And Commissioner Roger Goodell's role as judge, jury and executioner of discipline is in serious doubt. When will Brady be back on the field?He will be eligible to start in New England’s season opener on Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. OK, so can we just move on and talk about football now? Not yet. The NFL filed an appeal of Berman’s decision on Thursday afternoon. So we definitely haven’t heard the last of old Deflategate. Because chaos. Uncertainty. Headlines all year long. That is the state of the NFL.
Putting a name to a face and a face on a crisis
A gut-wrenching image impossible to erase from your mind — a 3-year-old boy dead on a beach — brought the world's attention Wednesday to the migrant crisis in Europe. On Thursday, we learned that the boy's name was Aylan Kurdi and that his mother and 5-year-old brother also died, adding to the tally of roughly 2,000 Syrians who have drowned trying to reach Europe since 2011. Aylan's father, Abdullah Kurdi, survived. "My kids were the most beautiful children in the world. ... They are all gone now," he said. Aylan isn't the only reason the refugee crisis is on our mind now. Last week, 71 migrants were found dead in a truck in Austria, even as summer is considered a better time to make the perilous journey from the Middle East and Africa to Europe. European leaders will hold a migrant summit Sept. 14 in Brussels, as Germany, Italy and France — who take in many refugees — want other nations, such as Britain and Spain, to accept more of them. In the meantime, those whose families are affected wait for news and pray.
CVS decided smoking was not cool. And that made a big difference, the drugstore chain says.
One year ago, CVS decided to stop selling tobacco products in all its stores. A study out Thursday from CVS Health says that decision actually caused people to buy 1% fewer packs of cigarettes in 13 states. The study, conducted by CVS' Health Research Institute, looked at cigarette-pack purchases at drug, food, mass merchandise, dollar, convenience and gas station stores in the eight months after CVS stopped selling smokes. Over the same period, the average smoker in these states purchased five fewer packs. And overall, about 95 million fewer packs were sold, CVS said. What else: The study found more nicotine patches were sold in that time period, which could mean more people tried quitting. What the critics say: CVS is taking too much credit. Also, CVS sells junk food, which is bad for you. What we say: If you're a smoker, you should really think about quitting.
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Taylor Swift's video director says 'Wildest Dreams' isn't racist because a hot black woman produced it
If a "(super hot) black woman" works on the set of a music video being slammed for racism, is it still racist? Taylor Swift's director for Wildest Dreams thinks not. Here's what happened. Tay premiered the video Sunday at the VMAs. In the video, she is an early-20th-century movie star who falls in love with her married co-star, played by Scott Eastwood, while filming a movie in Africa. It pays homage to Meryl Streep's Out of Africa. What's the problem? Critics slammed the video for romanticizing white colonialism. NPR reminds us: "Colonialism was neither romantic nor beautiful. It was exploitative and brutal." Why this sounds familiar. Swift received similar backlash for her Shake it off video last year. In that one, Swift dresses in gold chains and hoop earrings, and she crawls through the legs of twerking black women. Back to the video director. Joseph Kahn had this to say (via Twitter): "My long time producer Jil Hardin who did Power/Rangers, Blank Space, Wildest Dreams is a (super hot) black woman FYI," So ...
If you read only one thing tonight, read this: Deputy AG: Use of 'stingrays' must be spelled out
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Today in Elections 2016: “I think Donald Trump is trying to insult his way to the presidency, and it’s not going to work,” Jeb Bush said Thursday on ABC’s Good Morning America. More here. Speaking of Bush, Stephen Colbert was *not* happy about a little raffle that Bush had planned. Speaking of Trump, he says he signed the GOP loyalty pledge to back the Republican nominee in 2016. Rand Paul opts to 'go west' to revive his campaign. And Vice President Biden just couldn't resist poking fun at the reporters trailing him on a two-day southern tour, hanging on his every word for hints of an imminent presidential campaign.
Extra Bites:
We bring you some amazing airline photos from around the globe with his edition of #avgeek photos from Today in the Sky.
Have you seen it? An overgrown sheep found lost in Australia was shorn for perhaps the first time on Thursday, yielding 30 sweaters worth of wool. (P.S. Are you following @usatoday on Instagram?)
Yabba dabba doo! California's well-known "Flintstone House" is on the market.
Nickelodeon fans, rejoice: Rugrats, Hey Arnold and other '90s classics may be returning. See below for how we feel about that:
We all need a little distraction at some point during the day (what else are smartphones for?), so add DISTRACTME on the YO app. It'll be fun, we promise.
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This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.
Contributing: Jayne O'Donnell, Kelly Lawler, Kat Lackey, Kim Hjelmgaard USA TODAY; Lorenzo Reyes, Nancy Armour, Christine Brennan, USA TODAY Sports; Chris Chase, Nate Scott, For The Win; Mike Wynn and Chris Kenning, The (Louisville) Courier-Journal; Riham Kusa, Special for USA TODAY