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| Happy Thursday, Daily Briefing readers! Fresh off his historic address to both houses of Congress, President Joe Biden will visit Georgia today. One of his stops: meeting 39th president Jimmy Carter. Also in the news: 32 former college football stars will see their dreams come true tonight as the NFL draft kicks off its first round. |
| Steve and Jane are here with what you need to know Thursday. |
| ⚖ The Justice Department charged three white men with hate crimes for the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was shot and killed while jogging in Georgia. The men – Travis McMichael; his father, Gregory McMichael; and William "Roddie" Bryan – were indicted for targeting and threatening Arbery due to his race. |
| 🛳 Passenger voyages from the U.S. could start mid-summer, depending on cruise lines' pace and compliance with the CDC's guidelines and framework for conditional sailing, the agency said in a letter to the cruise industry. |
| ⚖ Federal authorities raided the Manhattan apartment of Rudy Giuliani, former President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, amid a continuing investigation into the former New York City mayor's dealings in Ukraine, a source told USA TODAY. |
| 🌎 Despite anger and emotional debate from Democrats, Florida Republican leaders revived and approved a controversial ban on transgender athletes participating in women's sports at the high school and college levels Wednesday night. The measure now goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is likely to sign it into law. |
| 📺 "Wheel of Fortune" contestant Laura Trammell made history by becoming the first contestant to ever win a home during the bonus round, but her moment was almost overshadowed after a celebratory confetti cannon hit Vanna White on the head. |
| 👋 The Academy Award winners were announced on Sunday, so let's talk about it. Join us at 4 p.m. ET today on Clubhouse! We'll be chatting about the Oscars, diversity in the entertainment industry and what's changed. |
 | | Join us at 4 p.m. ET Thursday, April 29 on Clubhouse. | | USA TODAY | |
| 🎧On today's 5 Things podcast, housing and economy reporter Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy talks about the ways companies are trying to make the office appealing again. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what we're looking at today: |
Biden heads to Georgia, one day after delivering historic speech to Congress |
| President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will spend most of Thursday in the state of Georgia. First, the Bidens will visit the 39th president, Jimmy Carter, and his wife, Rosalynn. Later, to mark the president's 100th day in office Friday, they will attend a drive-in rally in Duluth, according to Biden's official schedule. The trip comes a day after his first address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday evening. During the speech, Biden called out goals he has achieved such as his administration passing its goal of delivering 200 million COVID-19 vaccines in his first 100 days in office. He also called for police reform after the conviction of Derek Chauvin for killing George Floyd, urged reinstatement of the assault weapons ban, pressed Congress to pass his comprehensive immigration legislation and implored lawmakers to raise taxes on the rich and corporations, saying they need to pay their fair share. |
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'Representation matters': With Harris, Pelosi, 2 women share dais for the first time |
 | | Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stand near President Joe Biden | | Getty Images photo; USA TODAY graphic | |
| American presidents are flanked by the speaker of the House and the vice president during high-profile speeches such as an address to a joint session of Congress, each sitting behind and on either side of the commander in chief. |
| For the first time in history Wednesday night, two women – Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – sat behind a president during such a speech as Joe Biden addressed Congress. |
California governor facing recall election |
| Frustrated by Gov. Gavin Newsom's liberal policies and approach to the pandemic, his opponents submitted signatures last month to force an election to recall the Democratic leader of the nation's most populous state. On Thursday, county officials in California will complete the validation process for more than 1.6 million signatures collected by organizers. It's not the first time Californians have tried to unseat the governor: In 2003, voters recalled Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and replaced him with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. |
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Newsmakers in their own words: Biden speaks on white supremacy |
 | | President Joe Biden | | USA TODAY graphic | |
| In his address to Congress, Biden identified white supremacy as a domestic terror threat that the country must remain vigilant against. |
| Federal law enforcement and analysts within the Department of Homeland Security warn that the threat from white supremacist organizations will remain persistent in the coming years. |
NFL draft set to kick off with the first round |
| The 2021 NFL Draft will begin Thursday night with its first of seven rounds. Running until Saturday, the draft will be spread out across multiple venues in Cleveland and fans will be allowed to attend. Commissioner Roger Goodell and a select number of prospects will take the stage and the famous, albeit somewhat awkward, bro hugs will be back, despite questions about their safety. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is expected to be chosen No. 1 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars and BYU's Zach Wilson is expected to go No. 2 to the New York Jets. The intrigue really begins when the San Francisco 49ers reveal who they will take with the third pick after making a big trade to move up. The draft will air live on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT). |
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What else people are reading: |
| 🔵 Was Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz really sleeping during President Joe Biden's joint address to Congress? Twitter has some thoughts. |
| 🔵 Authorities confirmed Wednesday that Delaware police officer Cpl. Keith Heacook, 54, died following a brutal assault last weekend. |
| 🟢 Meet Avelo Airlines: The new U.S. airline has $19 fares and $10 checked bags. The airline is zeroing in on small airports and routes without competition. |
| 🟣 In her review of Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale," TV critic Kelly Lawler writes that "the plodding, frustrating fourth season is not unlike the plodding, frustrating third or the plodding, frustrating second." |
| 🟣 Willow Smith – the daughter of Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith – opened up this week about being polyamorous. This is what you should know about polyamory. |
Biden administration could push for ban on menthol cigarettes |
| A response could come Thursday from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to a citizen petition filed in 2013 by national public health advocates who are calling for the FDA to include menthol in its ban on cigarettes with "characterizing flavors," which have long appealed to children. The Biden administration is planning to push for a ban on menthol cigarettes , which have been the target of anti-smoking advocates and civil rights activists who say the industry has aggressively marketed to Black Americans, according to a report published by The Washington Post. The cigarette ban would not require congressional approval, but the FDA would have to submit proposed rules and seek public comment. A final ban could take years and would likely be challenged in court by the tobacco industry, which has repeatedly sued the FDA to block anti-tobacco regulation. |
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Newsmakers in their own words Part II: Sen. Tim Scott provides GOP rebuttal |
 | | Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott | | Getty Images photo; USA TODAY graphic | |
| South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only African American Republican in the Senate, touched on a variety of topics in the party's response to Biden's address to Congress. Scott said Biden is a good man with good words, but has failed to lower the nation's temperature by caving to left-leaning interests on several issues. |
| Scott also defended the country's record on race as one of opportunity and optimism and said Democrats ignore the country's strides over the past century for political and financial gain. |
Prince William and Duchess Kate celebrate 10th wedding anniversary |
| Thursday marks 10 years since Prince William, second in line to the British throne, now 38, wed his longtime girlfriend, the former Kate Middleton, now 39, in an extravagant ceremony on April 29, 2011, at the historic Westminster Abbey in London. New pictures of William and Duchess Kate were released to mark the occasion, which was watched by millions around the globe. The Cambridges, now the parents of three – Prince George, 7, Princess Charlotte, 5, and Prince Louis, 3 – are now full-time working royals, taking up more responsibilities to help William's father Prince Charles as grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, 95, cuts back on public engagements. |
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 | | Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge at Kensington Palace photographed this week in London, and released on April 28, 2021, to mark their 10th wedding anniversary on April 29. | | Chris Floyd/Camera Press/via AP | |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published Wednesday |
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| Contributing: The Associated Press |
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