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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers. Today marks a year since George Floyd was murdered by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, sparking months of protests around the world. President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with Floyd's family later, as the police reform legislation named in his honor has still not been passed. |
| It's Jane, with Tuesday's news. |
| 🔴 New this morning: George Floyd. Trayvon Martin. Sandra Bland. For many Black Americans, these deaths – and others like them – have caused lasting trauma. |
| 🔵 "A public lynching." Bernice King, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Nick Cannon, Julian Castro and other Americans reflect on George Floyd's murder. |
| 🍷 "Gray area" drinking is not a medical diagnosis, but experts say it can still be a problem. What is it and what are the signs? |
| ✈️ A Southwest Airlines flight attendant was assaulted by a passenger and lost two teeth. "Unfortunately, this is just one of many occurrences," said a union official. |
| ⛱ Elliot Page's summer is going swimmingly. The transgender actor shared his first shirtless photo since undergoing "life-changing" and "lifesaving" surgery. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, we look at the state of police reform one year after George Floyd's murder. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
George Floyd's family struggles with loss, a year since murder |
| One year ago, George Floyd was murdered at the hands of police , a day that sparked protests for social justice worldwide. Floyd, 46, died on May 25, 2020, after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for more than nine minutes. To millions around the world, the final minutes of Floyd's life unleashed months of protests worldwide against police brutality and systemic racism. But for those closest to Floyd, his death was a theft: the abrupt loss of a friend and confidant. The one-year mark of his murder will be observed with a block party in the Houston housing projects where he grew up. |
President Biden to meet with Floyd's relatives amid delay in police reform legislation |
| One year after the murder of George Floyd, President Joe Biden hoped to have signed police reform legislation. But the anniversary of Floyd's murder will go without lawmakers on Capitol Hill coming to a deal to pass legislation that is named in Floyd's honor. The White House has downplayed the delay of the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act being passed by the one-year mark of Floyd's death, a deadline that Biden himself set. Instead of focusing on the talks, the president will commemorate Floyd's death with his relatives, who will visit the White House in a private meeting. |
What else people are reading: |
| 💉 Health officials are looking into reports of heart problems in young adults and teens who have received two-dose COVID-19 vaccines. Tap here for the latest coronavirus updates. |
| 🔵 A Louisiana State Police officer at the scene of the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene, a Black man, falsely told internal investigators that he was a threat to flee. |
| 🏈 Amid rampant speculation about whether his 10-year run with the Atlanta Falcons could be coming to an end, Julio Jones further fueled rumors. |
Stars come out tonight in NBA playoffs |
| The NBA offers up a playoff tripleheader Tuesday, starting off with Game 2 of the series between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets (7:30 p.m. ET). The Nets finally have their "big three" of James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving all together – and they combined for 82 points in a win on Saturday. The second game pits the Phoenix Suns against the Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET). The Suns won Game 1, but lost point guard Chris Paul for part of the game to a shoulder injury. The nightcap (10:30 p.m. ET) has the Los Angeles Clippers hosting the Dallas Mavericks. |
Texas lawmakers pass bill that would allow handguns without a permit |
| Texas Gov. Greg Abbott could soon sign a bill that would allow the permitless carry of holstered handguns , after the state legislature approved the law on Monday. Abbott has said he would sign the bill that would make Texas the 19th state to allow handguns to be carried without a permit, according to gun control nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety. House Bill 1927 would allow anyone over the age of 21 who can legally possess a firearm in Texas to carry a handgun in public without a permit. Current state law allows residents 21 or older to carry a handgun only after completing the required training and criminal background check to obtain a license to carry. |
ICYMI yesterday: |
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Package containing white powder sent to Sen. Rand Paul's home |
| An investigation is underway on Tuesday after a package containing white powder was sent to the Kentucky home of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. The FBI's Louisville office "is working with the Warren County Sheriff's Office by providing forensic and technical support for this investigation," agency spokesman Tim Beam told the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. Capitol Hill police are also involved in the investigation, according to Politico, which first reported the news. "I take these threats immensely seriously," Paul wrote on Twitter on Monday. |
📸 Visitors are back at the Smithsonian National Zoo 📸 |
 | | Visitors watch giant Panda Xiao Qi Ji, right, with his mother Mei Xiang, 22 years of age, at the Smithsonian National Zoo on May 21, 2021 in Washington DC. | | Jack Gruber, USA TODAY | |
| Giant panda Xiao Qi Ji celebrated his 9-month birthday with his mother Mei Xiang as visitors returned to the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington on Friday. |
| The zoo had been closed since November 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out our gallery of photos from the day. |
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