 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| We've made it to Friday, Daily Briefing readers! It's official – "pandemic misery" is real and unrelenting. A new study found that 80% of those surveyed experienced hardships in the past year – and for Black and Latino people, the figure was even higher. |
| Steve and Jane are here with Friday's news. |
| 🌎 New this morning: A member of the influential Koch family donated to a crowdfunding campaign that peddled misinformation about the presidential election. |
| ⚖ "Staggering amount of power": The Supreme Court has been asked to block the federal government from enforcing an eviction moratorium in response to the coronavirus pandemic. |
| 🏀 NBA's defending champs eliminated: The Los Angeles Lakers lost star Anthony Davis early and then dropped Game 6 of their first-round playoff series to the Phoenix Suns. |
| 📺 "I just want to go to my room and never come out": In yesterday's "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" episode, Kim Kardashian West was seen crying about the unraveling of her marriage to rapper Kanye West. |
| ⚖ F. Lee Bailey, the celebrity lawyer who defended O.J. Simpson, Patricia Hearst, and the alleged Boston Strangler, has died. He was 87. |
 | | F. Lee Bailey in May 2014 | | Associated Press photo; USA TODAY graphic | |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear about the U.S. plan to send more COVID-19 vaccines overseas. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| 📰 How well have you followed the news this week? Test your knowledge with our quiz! |
| Here's what's happening today: |
'Pandemic misery': Black and Latino Americans suffered most |
| An index of "pandemic misery" released this week by USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research has found that 80% of people involved in the survey experienced hardships in the past year — and that number was even higher for Black and Latino people. The study found that those groups were more likely to know someone who died from COVID-19. More than 85% of both racial groups reported facing at least one hardship, compared to 80% of Asian people and 76% of white people. In other coronavirus news, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report coming out Friday will prompt a redoubling of efforts to have eligible youngsters get vaccinated. |
After Biden offers to keep Trump tax cuts, more talks to seal infrastructure deal |
| Talks have dragged on over what began as Joe Biden's $2.25 trillion American Jobs Plan , with Republicans rejecting what they see as liberal social programs that don't belong to an infrastructure package. Biden made a major concession Wednesday: In lieu of scrapping the previous administration's corporate tax cuts, the plan will instead beef up tax enforcement for the wealthiest and ensure the largest corporations pay at least a minimum of 15%. Biden plans to keep the conversation going Friday with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, the lead negotiator for a group of six Republicans working to seal the infrastructure deal with the White House. |
What else people are reading: |
| 🔵 "This is where Kennedy was supposed to grow up and be successful": A Mississippi teenager was fatally shot hours after she graduated from high school. |
| 🔵 Fact check: Critics have inaccurately characterized Dr. Anthony Fauci's 2020 emails as "leaked" evidence of various pandemic conspiracies. |
| 🔵 "The fastest path to communism": Singer Grimes, the partner of Elon Musk, made waves on social media after delivering a plea for communists to get on board with artificial intelligence. |
| 🔵 Ongoing probe: The FBI is investigating campaign contributions tied to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's former business. |
| 🔴 "I want to apologize again": Arizona Diamondbacks analyst Bob Brenly is taking a leave of absence after his recent comments about pitcher Marcus Stroman. |
Jobs report to show whether worker shortages still slow hiring |
| With U.S. businesses scrambling to fill millions of jobs as the economy reopens faster than many had expected, Friday's May jobs report will help show if their efforts are succeeding. The fading of the pandemic has produced a disconnect between companies and many unemployed, who are seeking better jobs and still lack affordable child care. Even as more states lifted restraints and COVID vaccinations accelerated, that disconnect resulted in a sharp slowdown in hiring in April, when employers added far fewer jobs (266,000) than economists had forecast (995,000, according to one survey). Economists are projecting employers added 650,000 jobs in May. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Demi Lovato on growing up in the spotlight |
 | | Demi Lovato at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards on May 27, 2021 | | Getty Images photo for iHeartMedia; USA TODAY graphic | |
| Singer Demi Lovato and talk show host Drew Barrymore both opened up on a recent episode of the "4D with Demi Lovato" podcast about how their high-paying jobs in Hollywood as young kids affected their family dynamics. |
After a long battle, House Judiciary Committee will finally question Don McGahn |
| The House Judiciary Committee is poised to question former White House counsel Don McGahn behind closed doors Friday, two years after House Democrats wanted his testimony as part of investigations into former President Donald Trump. The committee sought McGahn's testimony in May 2019 because he was a key figure in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. But McGahn defied the subpoena. The committee sued to enforce its subpoena and the case has bounced around federal courts ever since. While the House panel eventually won its fight for McGahn's testimony, the court agreement almost guarantees they won't learn anything new. |
One of the sweetest days of the year is here! 🍩 |
| Friday is National Doughnut Day – or National Donut Day in some circles – and shops across the country are marking it with fried freebies and delectable deals. Krispy Kreme will give all customers a free doughnut, and it's doubling the deal for guests who get two free treats when they present proof that they received a COVID-19 vaccine. Tap here to see more freebies and deals nationwide. |
 | | Krispy Kreme: All customers get any doughnut for free Friday, no purchase necessary, and get a $1 Original Glazed dozen with any dozen doughnuts purchase. It's possible to get two doughnuts for free without a purchase Friday if you've received at least one COVID-19 shot as Krispy Kreme will honor its free Original Glazed doughnut offer when you show a valid vaccination card. | | Scott Olson, Getty Images | |
Disneyland's Avengers Campus is assembled and ready to open |
| Sling a web like Spider-Man and help the superhero defeat replicating spider bots attempting to take over Avengers Campus. Train to be a member of the Warriors of Wakanda, or help Dr. Strange as he tries to protect a gold ring from villains.These are just a few of the things guests of Disney California Adventure Park will be able to do when they enter Avengers Campus, which opens in Anaheim on Friday . Avengers Campus was built on 70-plus years of Marvel superhero characters and stories and 23 movies. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published Thursday |
| 🌎 "We have never witnessed such mixed emotions": After a bride in India died of a heart attack at her wedding, the bride's sister married the groom with her body in the next room. |
| 💻 Document review and analysis: How do Dr. Anthony Fauci's private comments in newly released emails stack up with what he said in public? Head here to see for yourself. |
| 💉First in line, still no shot: A surprising number of hospital workers have refused to get vaccines. |
📸 Photo of the day: American tennis pros take on the clay in Paris 📸 |
 | | June 3: American Coco Gauff, the No. 24 seed, plays a running forehand against China's Qiang Wang during her 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) win in the second round.. | | Susan Mullane, USA TODAY Sports | |
| Coco Gauff, 17, is living up to her career-best ranking at the French Open, advancing to the third round by beating China's Wang Qiang Thursday. Head here for more shots of the best players in the world playing at Roland Garros in Paris. |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
| |
| |
| |
