MUST WATCH
Get '5 Things' in your inbox
If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter.
(CNN)Help is around the corner for lots of American families. About 39 million households with children will start getting monthly enhanced child tax credit payments on July 15 as part of the government's Covid-19 relief plan.
Here's what you need to know to
Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.
(You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign up here.)
1. Coronavirus
The National Nurses United union president is
criticizing CDC guidance that vaccinated people can largely forego masks, saying it's confusing and could endanger health care workers. One problem? It relies on an honor system in which unvaccinated people still mask up. At least
one local leader has already said such a system just isn't working. President Biden says there will be
enough Covid-19 vaccine supply for every American adult by the end of this month, and his administration is pledging millions more vaccine doses to other countries on top of the 60 million already committed. We're also learning more about a coronavirus
variant first detected in India that has now gone global. The B.1.617 is a "variant of concern," which means it could be more transmissible, cause more severe disease or evade tests and treatments. Experts think the variant is driving the recent waves of infection in India.
MUST WATCH
This country is selling Covid-19 vaccines to tourists
01:56
2. Abortion
The Supreme Court
agreed to take up a key abortion case next term that could pose a major challenge to Roe v. Wade. The case concerns a controversial Mississippi law that banned most abortions after 15 weeks. A federal judge struck down the law in 2018. Now that the court has a 6-3 conservative majority, it could set a new precedent that emboldens other states to enact similarly strict abortion laws. Several already have: South Carolina, Oklahoma and Idaho codified so-called "heartbeat bills" this year. Arkansas and Oklahoma enacted near-total abortion bans, and Montana banned the procedure at 20 weeks. None of these bills is in effect yet, with some tied up in court. For the record, polling reveals a
majority of Americans want Roe v. Wade to stay in place.
MUST WATCH
Supreme Court to take up case next term that could limit Roe v. Wade
02:20
3. Policing
Fifteen unions that represent law enforcement officers across the US have
endorsed a policing plan that includes an unprecedented shift in the way unions protect bad police officers. Under the plan, law enforcement officers and those in adjacent professions would be encouraged to act as "active bystanders" and intervene when another union member is doing something wrong. Meanwhile, a North Carolina DA is
set today to reveal the findings of a state investigation into the police shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. What bodycam footage of the April incident, in which deputies shot and killed Brown, actually shows is in dispute. In South Carolina, two deputies involved in the
in-custody death of Jamal Sutherland in January have been fired.
MUST WATCH
Police unions have shielded their officers, experts say
03:54
4. Mideast violence
Biden has expressed support for a ceasefire in the escalating violence between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. The
President mentioned his position on a call yesterday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and floated the possibility of international diplomatic involvement. Some
Democratic leaders want Biden to be more forceful with US engagement in the conflict. Netanyahu, meantime, has
vowed to continue strikes against Hamas targets. The US has been in touch with foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, Egypt and Pakistan, but demands from Israel and Hamas have so far stymied any solutions. Meanwhile, the volley of rocket attacks and airstrikes continues.
MUST WATCH
6-year-old airstrike survivor pulled from rubble
02:59
5. Havana Syndrome
The US is investigating two cases of a
mysterious illness that affected White House officials late last year. The cases are consistent with "Havana Syndrome," an inexplicable combination of sensory experiences and physical symptoms that have sickened more than 100 US diplomats, spies and troops around the globe. One of the latest incidents began after the 2020 election when an NSC official passed through a White House gate. Now, the government has revealed it's investigating a second, more serious case from weeks later near another White House entrance. The intelligence community still isn't sure who is causing the strange array of nervous system symptoms or if the episodes can even be called "attacks."
MUST WATCH
2nd potential case of mystery illness near White House
02:15
BREAKFAST BROWSE
Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez are officially married
She saw it, she liked it,
she wanted it, she got it.
Steph Curry, 33, becomes oldest player to secure the NBA scoring title since Michael Jordan
Today in "
news that will make you feel ancient."
MUST WATCH
Pau Gasol on helping others after retiring from the game
02:26
Gigantic KAWS hot air balloon will take flight over major world cities
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a ... er ...
shy skeleton mouse creature.
Here's what we know about how the Pentagon is handling UFO videos
These discoveries are
either fascinating or terrifying.
MUST WATCH
Mystery surrounds upcoming Pentagon report on UFOs
04:03
Burger King is bringing back its fan-favorite crown-shaped nuggets
Why is it that nuggets shaped like things
automatically taste better?
TODAY'S NUMBER
745,000
That's the estimate of
how many people died in 2016 as a result of having worked at least 55 hours a week, according to a global analysis from the World Health Organization.
MUST WATCH
Economist: Work from home will be the future for a 'lucky minority'
01:23
TODAY'S QUOTE
"Does my client have information that could hurt an elected official? I guess this is must-see television. You'll just have to wait and see."
Fritz Scheller, attorney for Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector and close confidant of Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz. Greenberg formally pleaded guilty to six federal charges and admitted he had knowingly solicited and paid a minor for sex.
MUST WATCH
Attorney for Gaetz ally issues ominous warning
03:48
TODAY'S WEATHER
MUST WATCH
Over 30 million under flood alerts in the central US
01:56
AND FINALLY
Now you know
It's time to learn, once and for all, what goes on during the mysterious, magical process of dry cleaning. (
Click here to view.)