‘A day of celebration’

Juneteenth is at long last a federal holiday, and the House voted to repeal a nearly 20-year-old war resolution that supporters say was a step toward halting America’s “forever wars.” 

It’s Julius. Let’s talk news, shall we?

But first, the return of the “murder hornets.” The Pacific Northwest and Canada are bracing for the Asian giant hornets’ nesting season. 

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Juneteenth is officially a federal holiday

President Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth, a day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, as a federal holiday. Juneteenth marks the day when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were notified of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. While President Abraham Lincoln delivered his proclamation freeing all enslaved people in rebelling states in 1862, Confederate troops and slaveholders in states that had seceded did not observe the proclamation until Union troops arrived to liberate the enslaved people, the last of whom were in Galveston. Long observed among Black Americans, Juneteenth has gained higher prominence in recent years after racial justice movements increased interest in the holiday and more states and cities have passed legislation commemorating emancipation. “Today is a day of celebration,” Vice President Kamala Harris said. “It is not only a day of pride, it is also a day for us to reaffirm and rededicate ourselves to action.”

• Juneteenth holiday vote: Who are the 14 House Republicans who against it? And why?

JTF_Juneteenth (Photo: Just the FAQs)

Obamacare is here to stay

The Supreme Court turned back a major challenge to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, allowing the law to survive even though a provision requiring all Americans to buy health insurance no longer has a financial penalty associated with it. Eighteen states told the court that the entirety of Obamacare had to be thrown out because its other provisions rested on the requirement that all Americans obtain health coverage in some form. However, the court pushed back in a 7-2 ruling, saying the states that sued over the law did not have standing to do so.

• Opinion: Republicans would miss legal abortion, just like they would have missed Obamacare.

What everyone’s talking about

• ‘The true spectrum’: Victoria’s Secret replaces Angels with athletes, activists and actors as new spokespeople. 
• Much of our slang comes from the Black community.Not acknowledging that perpetuates racism.
• Naomi Osaka withdrew from Wimbledon, but will play at Tokyo Olympics.
• A newly discovered giant rhino species was among the largest mammals ever to walk Earth.
• ‘We were missing the magic’: Last Disney park reopens amid pandemic.

Keeping an eye on a (possible) storm

An ominous weather system moving toward the Gulf of Mexico Thursday was threatening to strengthen into Tropical Storm Claudette before slamming ashore across some Southern states. Coastal Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle could face heavy rains and flooding Friday and into the weekend, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Rob Miller said. Meteorologists have zeroed in on late Friday to Saturday as the most likely time frame, and Louisiana is the most likely place for landfall. However, landfall may occur anywhere from near the Texas-Louisiana border to the western part of the Florida Panhandle, Miller said.

House repeals resolution that paved way for Iraq invasion in 2002

The House voted to repeal a war resolution that paved the way for the U.S. military invasion of Iraq, which proponents said marked a first step toward halting America’s “forever wars.” Looking ahead, the Senate’s Democratic leadership has vowed to take up the measure, and the White House has also endorsed it. “The Iraq war has been over for nearly a decade,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday in announcing his support for the repeal. The 2002 measure authorized then-President George W. Bush to “use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to … defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq.”

Real quick

• An ex-American Airlines pilot was convictedin a gruesome 2015 triple murder in Kentucky.
• A Houston hospital has paved the way for employers to require COVID-19 vaccines.
• ‘Tornado Alley’ is expanding:Southern states see more twisters now than ever before.
• Former child slaves can’t sue U.S. chocolate companies over child laborin West Africa, Supreme Court rules.

Don’t forget about Dad this weekend

You may not believe it, but Father’s Day is this Sunday. (Shoutout to the dads of The Short List!) However, there’s no need to panic if you haven’t gotten your dad a gift yet. There’s still time (and expedited shipping). Whether you’re looking to save some cash on a gift, use your Amazon Prime account or ditch the traditional tie, we’ve got you covered. 

• Sorry, Harvard, fathers still matter— including Black fathers.
• ‘He is with me’: Sterling K. Brown talks emotional ties to late dad, Black fatherhood in Oprah special.

Dave Granlund, USA TODAY Network (Photo: USA TODAY Network)

A break from the news

• ✈️ 5 insider tech travel hacksyou’ll use every single trip.
• ⚕️ What is internalized capitalism?It harms mental health, productivity.
• 📦 Amazon Prime Day 2021: There’s a huge competing Samsung sale happening right now.

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.

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