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[h=4]The Short List: Blatter bows out; Kris 'didn't know' about Caitlyn Jenner; Amtrak crash update[/h]Out of the loop today? Here's what you missed.
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Out of the loop today? We've got what you missed. FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced his resignation Tuesday.(Photo: Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)
The FIFA criminal investigation got too close for Sepp Blatter to survive
After Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA president Friday, he was interviewed by a Swiss television station. "Why would I step down? That would be only an admission of wrongdoing on my part," he said. Four days later, he stepped down. Enough said, writes USA TODAY's Christine Brennan. It's been a major scandal for soccer's governing body, and Blatter just couldn't survive. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department and Attorney General Loretta Lynch released details of a widespread indictment involving nine senior FIFA members, including a vice president. Blatter wasn't named, but Lynch was dropping thinly-veiled hints about what might be coming. Amid all that, Blatter was re-elected to his post, which he's held since 1998. But yesterday's report by The New York Times seems to be the smoking gun that prompted the stunning turnaround. According to the Times, FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke is alleged to have authorized a $10 million transfer — money U.S. officials say was used to bribe others into voting in favor of South Africa hosting the 2010 World Cup. More: Sepp still sees himself as the hero, writes Martin Rogers. The soccer world is going nuts. Read Blatter's full statement here.
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USA TODAY Sports Martin Rogers discusses Sepp Blatter's decision to resign as President of FIFA amid scandal.
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We're still abuzz about Caitlyn Jenner's big reveal. Today we learned Kris Jenner 'didn't know'
Caitlyn Jenner's adult children knew. Ex-wives from when she was Bruce Jenner knew. Tabloid editors and the paparazzi certainly knew. But Kris Jenner says she had no clue her husband of 24 years was hiding her true self as a woman. And Buzz Bissinger, the journalist who interviewed Caitlyn Jenner for the Vanity Fair cover debut as a transgender woman, said he believes Kris. Savannah Guthrie interviewed Bissinger this morning on NBC's Today show. "Kris was very civil during the interview and she was very open," he said about the "momager" of the Kardashian-Jenner reality tribe. "She says, 'I didn't know. I had no idea about the extent of his gender issues.' ... And I got to say, I think she's right," he said. Also: We learn how she chose the name Caitlyn. Jessica Lange thinks the comparisons are "wonderful." Laverne Cox says the "struggle continues." And some transgender teens are hoping Jenner inspires acceptance.
Rescuers try to save hundreds trapped in capsized China ship
"The raindrops hitting my face felt like hailstones," he said. "'Just hang in there a little longer,' I told myself." Zhang Hui, 43, was among the lucky ones rescued after a Chinese passenger ship with 458 aboard capsized in the Yangtze River. Rescuers were scrambling today to pull people from the hull of the boat, which is upside down in about 50 feet of water. Zhang said he grabbed a life jacket with seconds to spare and drifted all night despite not being able to swim, reaching shore as dawn approached. The captain and chief engineer were among those saved and have been taken into police custody. If a large number of passengers are not rescued, the death toll could exceed the April 2014 sinking of a South Korean ferry that killed 304 people.
USA TODAY
Major maritime disasters in recent years
NTSB says engineer's cellphone record examined; no mechanical issues in fatal Amtrak crash
A National Transportation Safety Board report released today says that federal investigators are examining an Amtrak engineer's cellphone and cellphone records to determine whether the engineer made any calls, texted or sent messages while operating the train that crashed and killed eight passengers May 12 near Philadelphia. "Although the records appear to indicate that calls were made, text messages sent and data used on the day of the accident, investigators have not yet made a determination if there was any phone activity during the time the train was being operated," the report said. The NTSB's preliminary report found no anomalies with the train's braking system or the signals and track at the crash site. The NTSB previously noted the train had been traveling at 106 mph as it entered the Frankford Junction curve — more than twice the posted 50-mph speed limit — before the emergency brake system engaged.
Emergency personnel work at the scene of a deadly train wreck in Philadelphia on May 13, 2015.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Patrick Semansky, AP)
Facebook goes to France, opens artificial intelligence lab
Facebook: It's like it knows us. And wants to know us better. For about a year, Facebook has been building a program called Facebook AI Research to invest in artificial intelligence that sifts through the flood of text, pictures and videos that users share. The company has artificial intelligence research teams in California and New York. Now Facebook is opening an artificial intelligence lab in Paris. The move strengthens its foothold in Europe as scrutiny of the giant social network intensifies there. Facebook, based in Menlo Park, Calif., actually has more users in Europe than in the USA. "It's our hope that this research will ultimately help us make services like News Feed, photos and search even better and enable an entirely new set of ways to connect and share," the company said.
Facebook is opening an artificial research lab in Paris.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: onathan Nackstrand, AFP/Getty Images)
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Extra Bites:
"We are a nation, a people who remember our heroes," President Obama said in a White House ceremony to posthumously award the Congressional Medal of Honor to Army Sgt. William Shemin and Private Henry Johnson. Shemin was Jewish. Johnson was African American. "We never forget their sacrifice, and we believe it's never too late to say thank you."
Swipe through more great shots from the Day in Pictures.
President Obama presents the Medal of Honor to Elsie Shemin-Roth and Ina Bass, accepting on behalf of their late father, Army Sergeant William Shemin, for actions while serving in France during World War I. Obama also awarded a Medal of Honor to the late Army Private Henry Johnson for his actions, also during World War I.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images)
Looks like female sawfish don't need the guys so much anymore. Scientists have discovered seven examples in Florida of virgin-birth offspring by smalltooth sawfish, an endangered species.
You go, Melissa McCarthy! Not only has the actress been blasting sexism and sizeism in our society, criticizing shopping malls that "segregate plus-size women" and telling off a mean critic, but she's also serving inspiration via her weight loss journey.
Maya Rudolph, President Obama, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Robert De Niro, Stephen Colbert and former president George W. Bush have a few things to tell the Class of 2015, and they're pretty funny. Watch 2015's funniest graduation jokes:
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Everyone from President Obama to SNL alum Maya Rudolph spoke at graduations in 2015. Hear the comments that had us laughing all the way to the podium. VPC
"This place is a jungle." That's what former NFL running back Lawrence Phillips writes to a former coach from a maximum-security prison, where Phillips is serving 31 years for assault and is under investigation in the recent death of his cellmate. USA TODAY Sports has obtained copies of letters that Phillips, a two-time college football national champion at the University of Nebraska, has written over the past 18 months to former coaches.
What's in our reading list:
Senate approves USA Freedom Act
Jamie Dimon and Mike Duggan: Detroit revs up
Polls reflect troubles for Clinton and Bush
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This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.
Contributing: Jessica Guynn, Maria Puente, Michael Winter, Matthew Diebel, Donna Leinwand Leger, Bart Jansen, USA TODAY; Martin Rogers, Luke Kerr-Dineen, Christine Brennan, Nina Mandell, USA TODAY Sports; Associated Press
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