National

Melania Trump and her jacket 'really don't care'

Does Melania Trump really care about the children? Her jacket says no. 

Melania Trump, first lady of surprises, had not one but two up her sleeves Thursday. She traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border without public notice in advance, and she wore a short trench coat with the message on the back: "I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO U?" She visited the Upbring New Hope Children Center in Texas to learn more about how the immigrant children can be reunited with their parents "as quickly as possible." Trump and other first ladies previously spoke out against her husband's "zero tolerance" immigration policy. After President Donald Trump decided to drop the separations policy on Wednesday, he said he was swayed by arguments of his elder daughter, Ivanka Trump, and his wife. The president's executive order did not address the fate of more than 2,000 children already in custody.

States can now cash in on online transactions

Cha-ching! States can now collect sales taxes from online retailers, a closely divided Supreme Court decided Thursday, overturning an earlier precedent. However, the ultimate impact of the ruling remains in doubt, because it only directly affects South Dakota, which had sought to collect taxes from online retailers with more than $100,000 in annual sales or 200 transactions in the state. The justices did not specify what types of exceptions that states may impose to limit the burden on small businesses.

It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad World Cup

The 2018 World Cup in Russia still has weeks to go, but it is already shaping up to be one of the wilder years for soccer's most prestigious tournament. Mexico, a team with the most losses in World Cup history, helped set the tone with a stunning defeat over the defending champion Germany in its opening game on Sunday. And another favorite lost in an upset Thursday, when Argentina fell to Croatia 3-0. Off the field, a female reporter covering the tournament was sexually assaulted on air when a fan ran up to her during a live shot, grabbed her breast, kissed her on the cheek and ran away. Julieth González Therán said in a statement that she does not "want to be a victim" and just wants to keep doing her job. And in "what were they thinking?" news, Burger King apologized Thursday for an offensive ad that promised Russian women a lifetime supply of free meals and a cash "prize" if they were to become pregnant with a World Cup player's baby.

Sexual misconduct brings down another CEO

Intel's CEO Brian Krzanich joined the list of high-profile businessmen ousted or forced to resign because of sexual misconduct when he stepped down Thursday over a "past consensual relationship" with a female employee. His unexpected exit comes after internal and external investigations ordered by the chipmaker "confirmed a violation of Intel's non-fraternization policy, which applies to all managers," Intel said.

Here's the plan to protect the planet from 'near-Earth objects'

"Near-Earth objects" like comets and asteroids are hurtling toward us, and NASA has a plan to make sure they don't land in your lawn. NASA and the White House unveiled a "preparedness strategy and action plan" outlining five ways that government agencies can keep these objects away. In other space news, NASA announced that a giant dust storm has enveloped the entire planet of Mars.

Koko the gorilla signs off 

The beloved gorilla Koko, famous for being fluent in sign language, died in her sleep Tuesday at age 46. The western lowland gorilla was born at the San Francisco Zoo in 1971 and was the star of "Project Koko," an experiment by scientist Penny Patterson and Stanford University to teach gorillas sign language in order to learn about their cognitive abilities. Koko was featured on the cover of National Geographic twice in her lifetime, once taking a picture of herself in a mirror and another time holding her pet kitten.

The Short List is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.

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