Immigration Advocate Vargas Released By U.S. Border Patrol

Here are the stories TIME is watching this Wednesday, July 16.

Immigration advocate and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas was released after being detained for attempting to fly without a valid U.S. visa.

Typhoon Rammasun battered the Philippines with driving rain and wind gusts of 115 mph before heading toward China.

A proposal to break California into six states drawn up by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper was submitted for the 2016 ballot, but don’t start adding stars to your flag — Congress is unlikely to approve.

And finally, Hillary Clinton appeared on The Daily Show and dropped tantalizing hints about her ’16 plans.

The Brief is published daily on weekdays.