Good morning. Here are some of the stories we’re following today:
1. S.C. Governor: I'll Think of Church Victims as Flag Comes Down
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who authorized the removal of the Confederate flag from state grounds, said she will be thinking about the victims of the Charleston church massacre when the rebel banner comes down Friday at 10 a.m. ET. "I think we can all say that, hopefully, the Emanuel Nine are looking down and feeling proud today," Haley said in an exclusive interview on TODAY. Read more in NEWS.
2. 21.5M Affected by Background Check Breach: OPM
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management announced Thursday that sensitive information, including Social Security numbers of 21.5 million people, was among the data stolen in a hack of its computer networks. An investigation determined that this hack and a separate, smaller breach of an OPM database detected in April were carried out by the same "actor," OPM officials said. Read more in NEWS.
3. Greece Government Offers Tax Hikes in Bailout Proposal
The bankrupt nation met a deadline Thursday that made a series of sweeping proposals that its creditors needed by midnight to stave off a financial collapse of the country. It raised hopes that Greece can get the rescue deal that will prevent its catastrophic exit from the euro. Read more in NEWS.
4. Kentucky Governor Orders Clerks to Grant Marriage Licenses
A county clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples for religious reasons said Thursday that Kentucky's governor had ordered him to do his job or quit. Gov. Steve Beshear has insisted clerks must carry out their duties and said the majority were "complying with the law" despite personal beliefs. Read more in NEWS.
5. Celebrity Chef Latest to Cut Ties With Trump
Celebrity chef and Food Network host Geoffrey Zakarian is the latest to pull the plug on a restaurant at Donald Trump's Washington, D.C., hotel over the billionaire's controversial comments about Mexican immigrants. "We are a nation built from immigrants, my family included," Zakarian said Thursday. Read more in POLITICS.
6. Tom Selleck Reaches Tentative Deal in Water Theft
The "Blue Bloods" and "Magnum, P.I." actor reached a tentative settlement Thursday with a Southern California water district that accused him of receiving water taken from a fire hydrant and transported across district boundaries, an attorney for the agency said. The water district had sued Selleck and his wife this week over the alleged water theft. Read more in NEWS.
7. Women's Soccer Stars to Be Feted With NYC Parade
When the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team rolls down the "Canyon of Heroes" on Friday morning in Manhattan, they will be the first women feted in a ticker-tape parade in three decades. The festivities kick off at 11 a.m. ET. Read more in SPORTS.
Nightly Spotlight
A massive great white shark was filmed leaping out of the water while another shark was fed from a boat off the coast of South Africa.