Good morning!👋🏾 I’m Jane, Daily Briefing author. The expiration date for the universe is sooner than previously thought, researchers say. But there’s no need to cancel your summer vacation.
Quick look at Wednesday’s news:
Menendez brothers closer to possible freedom
The Menendez brothers are significantly closer to possible release from prison after a Los Angeles judge resentenced them in the August 1989 shotgun deaths of their parents.
Erik and Lyle Menendez, held in custody since 1990 and originally sentenced to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, were each resentenced to 50 years to life by Judge Michael Jesic on Tuesday, making them eligible for parole.
Trump to meet with Syrian president on Middle East trip
President Donald Trump will meet Wednesday with the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the White House said. It comes the day after Trump said he will order the end of sanctions against Syria to “give them a chance of greatness.” Trump made the pledge during remarks Tuesday in Riyadh as he makes his first presidential visit of his second term. The White House announced billions of dollars in arms deals and Saudi investments during Trump’s stay. The U.S. agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion. Read more
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Takeaways from House hearings on Republican Medicaid, tax proposals
House Republicans defended a bill that would enact sweeping tax cuts, raise the debt ceiling and add restrictions to benefit programs during a heated marathon day of committee hearings on Capitol Hill. Three separate panels reviewed the legislation that would become part of a massive package to implement President Donald Trump’s agenda Tuesday. Democrats repeatedly slammed the package as a giveaway to the wealthy at the expense of benefit programs like Medicaid and food stamps. As the hearing on Medicaid kicked off, protesters began chanting: “No cuts to Medicaid!” They were escorted out, and 26 people were arrested. Read more
RFK Jr. to defend massive HHS budget cuts before two key committees
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has some explaining to do. Nearly four months into his new job, he is set to testify Wednesday before a pair of Congressional committees who are expected to grill him on a range of controversial topics – from proposed budget cuts to his flip-flop on vaccinations as a preventative tool during the nation’s measles outbreak. It comes after more than 100 Congressional Democrats signed a letter urging Kennedy to scrub planned budget cuts that would eliminate crucial mental health services for LGBTQ+ youth. Read more
Today’s talkers
How sports betting is gripping young men
It was Game 5 in the Western Conference 2018 finals, and with just over a minute left in the game, Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon hit a clutch shot. Rockets win, 98-94 against the Golden State Warriors. When Gordon scored, the room erupted in Saul Malek’s suburban Houston home. But the 20-year-old, a lifelong Rockets fan, was panicking. He had bet $1,500 on the Warriors to win, and he now owed money he didn’t have to his bookie. It would be the first of many times he went into debt due to a sports gambling addiction that ruled his life for two years. Read more
Photo of the day: The best red carpet looks at Cannes
Get ready for glam! Some of the biggest names in Hollywood stepped out on the famed red carpet at the 78th Cannes International Film Festival in the south of France, which began Tuesday. See the best looks, from Halle Berry to Bella Hadid to Leonardo DiCaprio.
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