Your Morning: Busy Memorial Day weekend travel ahead (2024)

YOUR MORNING

What’s happening: Airports and highways will likely be crowded the next few days as Americans travel for Memorial Day weekend. AAA predicts this will be the busiest start-of-summer weekend in nearly 20 years. Almost 44 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday. The Transportation Security Administration says up to 3 million people may pass through airport checkpoints on Friday alone. See the best and worst times to hit the road >

‘Shocking and outrageous’: American Airlines says a legal filing blaming a 9-year-old whom a former flight attendant is accused of secretly recording inside a plane bathroom was made in error. In the initial court document, American Airlines’ attorney suggested the child should have known there was a recording device, but an attorney representing the child blasted the tactic. “To blame a 9-year-old for being filmed while using the airplane bathroom is both shocking and outrageous,” the defense attorney said. American Airlines said: “Our outside legal counsel retained with our insurance company made an error in this filing. The included defense is not representative of our airline.” Read more >

Background: The families of two children are suing American Airlines and the ex-employee accused of recording them, Estes Carter Thompson III. He was arrested after a 14-year-old girl on a September 2023 flight said she noticed red stickers across the underside of the open toilet seat that were concealing an iPhone. Investigators say Thompson had recordings of four girls that were taken inside plane bathrooms. He was indicted on one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor. He entered a not guilty plea Monday. Full breakdown >

2024 election: Nikki Haley said Wednesday she will be voting for Donald Trump in the general election, encouraging the presumptive GOP nominee to work hard to win support from those who backed her in the primary. Haley, however, stopped short of an official endorsem*nt of the former president, as the two candidates were sharply critical of each other during the primary. Key endorsem*nts to watch ahead of November >

IVF: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has introduced a bill he says would protect in vitro fertilization. “This bill is designed to create a federal right — a federal protection to IVF,” Cruz told NewsNation’s “On Balance.” The bill from Cruz and Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., would cut Medicaid funding to any state that bans IVF, while also ensuring that organizations or health care providers within states aren’t required to provide access. Details >

What’s going on: Calling it “strong punishment” for Taiwan’s “separatist acts,” China has begun a two-day military exercise that encircles the island nation, according to state media. The exercise named “Joint Sword-2024A” comes three days after Taiwan’s new president assumed office. Taiwan says it placed its military on “high alert” in response to China’s drills, which are expected to last through Friday. Read more >

Bird flu: A Michigan dairy worker was diagnosed with bird flu, marking the second human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows. The worker had been in contact with cows at a farm with infected animals. Health officials said he experienced mild eye symptoms and has recovered. Full report >

What is bird flu? Avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, is an infection from a type of influenza virus that usually spreads in birds and other animals, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The virus usually spreads in birds but can also infect humans if they come in contact with an infected animal’s body fluid, “like spit, respiratory droplets or feces,” the medical center said. A bird flu virus has been spreading among more animal species since 2020, and the virus has been confirmed in at least 51 dairy herds in nine states, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. Read more >

What to know: The families of 19 of the victims in the Uvalde elementary school shooting in Texas filed a $500 million federal lawsuit against nearly 100 state police officers who were part of the botched law enforcement response. More than 370 federal, state and local officers responded to the school shooting scene, but they waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the shooter. Nineteen fourth graders and two teachers died in the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School. Read more >

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING 👀

NEWS ACROSS AMERICA

A Tennessee judge on Wednesday halted the auction of Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion. Presley’s cousin says no one will take the historic home >

Residents in Crook County, Oregon, approved the “Greater Idaho” measure that endorses efforts to secede from the state and join Idaho. Full breakdown >

An investigation is underway after a suspicious substance sent to the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., prompted a temporary lockdown and evacuation Wednesday. What to know >

One of three men charged with murder in connection with the shooting at the end of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade and rally earlier this year said he’s “truly sorry” in a new interview. Watch >

A 50-year-old Ohio man is being held in jail and facing a felony cruelty to animals charge after his dog died in a hot car. The investigation >

The California State Assembly passed a bill requiring adult websites to verify the ages of their visitors. Read more >

Hundreds of Florida lottery winners say the Sunshine State is illegally withholding their winnings due to a system error that makes it appear they were overpaid in unemployment benefits. The latest >

An Illinois brewhouse is offering a cicada-infused liquor shot. Yes, you read that right. Full story >