Good morning. Here are some of the stories we’re following today:
1. Rachel Dolezal Breaks Silence: ‘I Identify as Black’
The NAACP chapter leader who resigned after she was accused of lying about her race refused to concede that she had deceived anyone and flatly told NBC News on Tuesday that she identifies as black, not white. In a series of interviews Tuesday, her first since a furor erupted over her racial identity, Dolezal portrayed the issue as far more complex than biology. Read more in NEWS.
2. Prison Lockdown Denied Prior to Convicts’ Escape
Officials had requested a full lockdown and search of the upstate New York prison following a melee there a week before two convicted killers escaped — but the request was denied, several sources told NBC News. A cell-by-cell search that accompanies such lockdowns could potentially have discovered the plot by the convicted murderers who remain on the lam. Read more in NEWS.
3. Can Donald Trump Win the GOP Presidential Nod?
The billionaire had repeatedly suggested he will run for president, but he had never followed through until he announced his candidacy Tuesday. Even if he is on the ballot, Trump has obvious disadvantages: He has never run for another office or held another government post, as nearly all modern presidents have. Read more in POLITICS.
4. Texas Storm Triggers Flash Flood Watches
Most of East Texas was under a flash flood watch early Wednesday after Tropical Storm Bill made landfall and then inched inland, dumping up to 7 inches on parts of the water-logged state. There was also an isolated tornado threat to the east and northeast of the storm's path in east Texas, eastern Oklahoma and southern Missouri. Read more in NEWS.
5. N.C. Shark Attack Victim ‘Didn’t See It Coming’
Hunter Treschl, one of two young shark attack victims who lost an arm in separate encounters in North Carolina over the weekend, said in a statement that he "didn't see it coming." The 16-year-old lost his arm below the shoulder, while a 12-year-old girl lost her arm below the elbow. Read more in NEWS.
6. Cardinals Under Federal Probe for Computer Hack
The St. Louis Cardinals, one of baseball's most successful teams, are now under federal investigation for possibly breaching the Houston Astros' computer network and stealing internal discussions about trades, proprietary statistics and scouting reports. While that sort of tactic is common in the corporate world, cheating of that magnitude has never been carried out by a Major League Baseball team — or any American professional sports team. Read more in SPORTS.
7.Warriors Win NBA Title Over Cavaliers
Golden State capped their impressive NBA Finals run with a 105-97 victory over Cleveland on Tuesday night — giving the Warriors their first title in four decades. Read more at NBC SPORTS.
Nightly Spotlight
Ryan McGuire, 6, will hit the links and play 100 holes of golf in a single day to raise money for research in memory of a friend who lost his life to cancer.