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| We made it through another work week, Daily Briefing readers! Happy Friday! We hope you enjoy your Memorial Day weekend! In the news, after a delay, Republican senators are poised to block the formation of a panel to study the Capitol insurrection. Also, the White House will lay out on Friday the effects of his first budget plan on federal debt. Some Republicans have already called the plan "insane." |
| Steve and Fatima are here with more of Friday's news. |
| 🌎New this morning: Some gun dealers that face the strictest ATF penalties are home-based sellers who fail to invest in sales tracking and security at their home shops. This is the second part of the "Off Target" project. |
| 🔵 He tried to warn his co-workers, then he was shot: Loved ones mourn the nine victims of the mass shooting carried out at a San Jose, California, rail yard Tuesday. |
| 🔵 'Such extreme steps': The suspected shooter in the San Jose mass shooting intricately planned his attack with a simple motive in mind: He just hated his co-workers. |
| 🦠Can the U.S. pass the exam? Memorial Day weekend will be a test of whether the U.S. can avoid the spikes in infection that occurred amid, and after, the winter holidays before vaccines were widely available. Head here for the latest COVID-19 updates. |
| 🌎 Bill Cosby, who is currently serving three to 10 years in a Pennsylvania prison after being convicted of sexual assault in 2018, has been denied parole nearly three years into his sentence. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, USA TODAY health reporter Elizabeth Weise shares the downside to returning to pre-COVID-19 hygiene habits: colds and sore throats are on the rise. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| 📰 Do you think you've kept up with this week's news? Find out with our news quiz! |
| What else is happening today: |
GOP senators poised to block Capitol riot probe |
| Even as the mother of late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick pushes for a panel to study the Capitol insurrection, Senate Republicans are expected to block it at some point Friday when they return to the floor after a debate on an unrelated bill to boost scientific research and development extended into the early hours Friday. "Putting politics aside, wouldn't they want to know the truth of what happened on January 6?" Gladys Sicknick asked. "If not, they do not deserve to have the jobs they were elected to do." She has met with several Republican senators, who said they respectfully disagreed, but that he would try to get her answers for her. GOP lawmakers have said that creating a commission would put them at a disadvantage in the 2022 election. They're set to stage the first successful Senate filibuster under the Biden administration. |
Biden's budget proposal expected to increase the federal debt |
| After weeks of touting the benefits of President Joe Biden's proposed spending increases, the White House will lay out on Friday the effects of his first budget plan on federal debt. The proposal will present an overall fiscal picture , including spending on major programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security that were not included in his April preview. The plan is already giving fodder for critics after The New York Times reported Thursday that, by 2024, debt would be larger as a share of the economy than it was during World War II. The campaign arm for House Republicans called Biden's reported $6 trillion budget plan "insane." Progressives have defended Biden's plan. |
What else people are reading: |
| 🔵 Florida girl Tristyn Bailey, 13, was stabbed 114 times in a premeditated attack by a 14-year-old classmate. |
| 🔵 Another moon marvel: A "Ring of fire' solar eclipse will be visible in North America in June. |
| 🔵 Southwest Airlines has permanently banned the 28-year-old passenger accused of striking a flight attendant on a flight Sunday. The flight attendant's union said she lost two teeth. |
| 🔵 "One of the greatest mysteries in Galapagos": A giant tortoise thought to be extinct 112 years ago has been found. |
| 🔵 The "Friends" reunion: Several secrets were revealed during the HBO Max special that premiered Thursday, including David Schwimmer's 'major crush' on Jennifer Aniston. If you're not sure whether it will be worth your time, let TV critic Kelly Lawler help you make the decision. |
 | | This image provided by HBO Max shows, from left, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc in a scene from the "Friends" reunion special. | | Associated Press photo; USA TODAY graphic | |
3 Washington officers charged in death of Black man to appear in court |
| The Washington state attorney general on Thursday charged two Tacoma police officers with murder and another with manslaughter in the death of Manuel Ellis , a Black man who died after repeatedly telling them he couldn't breathe as he was being restrained. Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed charges of second-degree murder against Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins, and first-degree manslaughter against Timothy Rankine. The three were in custody Thursday evening, Ferguson's office said, with their arraignments set for Friday. Ellis, 33, died on March 3, 2020, in handcuffs from lack of oxygen caused by being restrained. The Pierce County medical examiner called his death a homicide. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Critics speak out against ICE |
 | | The Eloy Detention Center in Eloy is one of four such U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Arizona. | | Arizona Republic photo; USA TODAY graphic | |
| Several immigration detention centers in the U.S. are experiencing new spikes in COVID-19 cases. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials attribute the spikes to newly arrived immigrants. Many critics, however, say ICE's failure under the Biden administration to administer vaccines to detainees has led to the rise in cases. |
Oprah, Prince Harry host follow-up town hall to mental health series |
| Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry are continuing their mental health series with a virtual town hall called "The Me You Can't See: A Path Forward" featuring Oscar-nominated actress Glenn Close and other participants that will be released Friday on Apple TV+. The town hall, which will be available for free, arrives a week after the mental health series co-created by Winfrey and the Duke of Sussex, "The Me You Can't See," was released on the streaming platform. Winfrey and Prince Harry serve as executive producers of the five-part series and have conversations about their own emotional experiences throughout the episodes. The series also features news-magazine style pieces that profile celebrities and athletes such as Lady Gaga, who opened up about being raped at 19. |
Also happening on Friday ... |
| 🎶A new posthumous album from legendary rapper DMX was released Friday. Grammy winner Swizz Beatz, DMX's longtime producer and collaborator, announced that "EXODUS" will feature new material. DMX died April 9 at the age of 50. |
| 🍔 Ahead of Memorial Day barbecues and cookouts, Friday is National Burger Day. Burger King, White Castle, McDonald's and Wendy's are just some of the many restaurant chains that are offering deals and freebies. |
Memorial Day weekend movies: 'Cruella,' 'A Quiet Place Part II' lead the way |
| As the vast majority of cinemas are back up and running, film fans will have a holiday weekend full of new movies both at home AND in movie theaters to choose from! Two high-profile films premiering Friday include "Cruella," starring Emma Stone, and "A Quiet Place Part II," which stars Emily Blunt and is directed by her husband John Krasinski. "Cruella" (out in theaters and available on Disney+ with Premier Access) is a coming-of-age crime comedy set in 1970s punk London that sees Stone as a young British fashion designer who wants to take down her cruel, icy idol/boss (Emma Thompson). Eventually, she becomes Cruella, one of Disney's all-time queens of mean. 'A Quiet Place Part II' (out in theaters) expands the post-apocalyptic world from the 2018 original where blind alien creatures with great hearing hunt down anything that makes noise and a family (Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe) tries to stay alive. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published Thursday |
| 🔵 Lori Vallow Daybell, who has been accused of killing her two children, has been ruled unfit for trial by an outside psychologist. |
| ⚖ Amy Cooper, the white woman who called police on a Black birdwatcher in New York City's Central Park in 2020 has sued her former employer over her firing. |
| 💉COVID-19 vaccine developments: California announced it will offer $116.5M in prize money as an incentive that will, hopefully, stimulate its plateauing vaccination rate. |
📸 Photo of the day: LeBron and the Lakers drive to another victory 📸 |
 | | First round: Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the hoop past Suns defender Jae Crowder (99) during the second half of Game 3. | | Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports | |
| LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Los Angeles Lakers secured their second consecutive win over the Western Conference's No. 2 seed Phoenix Suns in Game 3 Thursday night and grabbed a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. |
| Tap here to see more outstanding action photos from the 2021 NBA playoffs. |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
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