Good morning. Here are some of the stories we’re following today:
1. Convicts Did ‘Dry Run’ Night Before Brazen Escape
Captured convict David Sweat — who is portraying himself as the "mastermind" behind the elaborate two-man escape from an upstate New York prison — did a practice session the night before actually breaking free on June 6, prosecutors have revealed. Sweat said that he and fellow inmate Richard Matt began planning the prison break in January, and used only hacksaws to cut through their cell walls. The details emerged as the prison's boss and his top deputy were placed on leave along with several other workers. Read more in NEWS.
2. U.S., Cuba to Announce Embassy Deal
The two countries — after decades of a Cold War standoff — will officially re-establish diplomatic relations on Wednesday morning with the announcement of a deal to open foreign embassies in each country's capitals. President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry are expected to unveil the plan at 11 a.m. ET. Read more in LATINO.
3. Historic Black Church Burns to the Ground
Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal, a predominantly black church near Greeleyville, South Carolina, went up in flames Tuesday night — the same house of worship that was set on fire by Ku Klux Klan members 20 years ago. Fire officials said they did not know whether the blaze was started intentionally, but it's the latest in a series of fires at predominately black Southern churches since the Charleston church shooting on June 17. Read more in NEWS.
4. Greece Slides Deeper Into Financial Crisis
The ailing European nation slipped deeper into its financial abyss after the bailout program on which it has relied for five years expired at midnight Tuesday and the country failed to repay a loan due to the International Monetary Fund. With its failure to repay the roughly 1.6 billion euros to the IMF, Greece became the first developed country to fall into arrears on payments to the fund. Read more in NEWS.
5. NSA Can Resume Collecting Phone Data
The National Security Agency may have been ordered out of the phone records business, but a secret court has said it can go ahead anyway. In a decision published Tuesday, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court — known as the FISA court — ruled that the NSA can resume bulk phone data collection for at least five more months. Read more in NEWS.
6. Mexico Drops Out of Miss Universe Pageant
Mexico announced it won't send a contestant to the Miss Universe contest, which Donald Trump partly owns, after the billionaire's controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants. The fallout comes after Univision announced it was canceling plans to air the Miss USA pageant in July and the Miss Universe competition next January. NBC also followed suit on Monday by saying it had severed its business ties with the celebrity mogul. Read more in LATINO.
7. U.S. Women Advance to World Cup Final
A packed stadium in Montreal on Tuesday cheered on the U.S. Women's soccer team, which won its second straight World Cup final after a 2-0 victory over No. 1 Germany. The U.S. will play the winner of Wednesday’s Japan-England semifinal during a championship match Sunday. Read more at NBC SPORTS.
Nightly Spotlight
Ballet dancer Misty Copeland is leaping into the history books. The 32-year-old was promoted Tuesday to female principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, becoming the first black woman in the company's 75-year history to hold the role.