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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Thu May 15 2025

Jane Onyanga-Omara | Audience Editor

Good morning! 👋🏾 I'm Jane, Daily Briefing author. Starbucks workers are walking out over new dress code. Here's why.

Quick look at Thursday's news:

•	Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended President Trump's proposed cuts to health agencies
•	The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Trump's plan to end birthright citizenship.
•	Egg prices have fallen for the first time in months. Will they get any cheaper?

RFK grilled over vaccines, job cuts

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended President Donald Trump's proposed cuts to top health agencies as committee members in the House and Senate pummeled him with questions on controversial topics and spending.

He testified before the House committee on appropriations the morning of May 14 and before the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee in the afternoon.

•	Nearly four months into his new job, Kennedy answered and dodged heated questions about vaccines, the measles outbreak and a recently approved spending bill.
•	He noted that health agencies were handling the U.S. measles outbreak better than other nations have handled theirs, refusing to answer whether people should get shots for various vaccine-preventable diseases.
•	Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen was among the roughly half-dozen people yanked out of the Senate hearing for protesting Kennedy.

Capitol Police was directed to physically remove protesters from a Senate hearing, including Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's.

Getty Images

Supreme Court takes up birthright citizenship: What's at stake?

In what could be its biggest blockbuster case of the year, the Supreme Court on Thursday will take up one of President Donald Trump's most controversial executive orders: ending the guarantee of citizenship to virtually everyone born in the United States. Judges appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents have put that change on hold, ruling it's likely unconstitutional. The Trump administration argues judges shouldn't be able to completely pause the president's policy while it's being challenged in court. Read more

More news to know now

•	"Perfecto": Wealthy Gulf rulers bring A-game to Trump charm offensive.
•	Trump official acknowledges 9 detainee deaths in ICE custody, disputes overspending.
•	Diddy trial recap: Cassie says she felt suicidal over Sean Combs' alleged abuse, rape.
•	Ms. Rachel defends advocacy for Palestinian children amid backlash: "It's sad."

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

International college students bring billions to the US. That may change.

For scientists hoping to study in the United States, Europe has a clear message: Come here instead. It comes amid the Trump administration cutting research funding and detaining foreign-born students. EU leaders have launched a new initiative called "Choose Europe for Science," a 500-million euro investment meant to attract foreign researchers and college students. In a thinly veiled swipe at Donald Trump, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, noted that the new program stood in stark contrast to the state of research funding in other regions, where "the role of science in today's world is questioned." Read more

Egg prices fell for the first time in months. Will they get cheaper?

U.S. egg prices fell in April for the first time in months but remain high as a dozen Grade A eggs are still costing $5.12 on average, after hitting a record $6.23 in March. The drop represents the first month-to-month decline since October 2024. The series of price hikes were related to the bird flu outbreak. "Considering that we were at record level prices just a couple of months ago, I think this is a pretty big move," said economist Bernt Nelson. "We can't say that it'll necessarily stay this way, but for the near term, this is great." Read more

Today's talkers

•	NFL schedule release winners, losers: NFC East is back, red carpet ready for Aaron Rodgers.
•	Luxury travelers will take 8 leisure trips on average in 2025, a report says.
•	"Mission: Impossible" review: Tom Cruise's "Final Reckoning" is a death-defying joy.
•	Naval Academy freshmen take part in a greasy tradition.

See every game for all 32 teams in the 2025 NFL schedule

The wait is over. The 2025 season schedule has been released for every NFL team. The NFL began rolling out the 2025 schedule with Monday's announcement of some key games, such as the 2025 season opener: The Dallas Cowboys, led by a healthy Dak Prescott, will face the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. On Tuesday, the NFL revealed the NFL's international games. And now, USA TODAY Sports has each team's schedule available for you. Read more

Photo of the day: Rare piebald elk spotted in Colorado

A female elk with a unique brown and snow-white coat is turning heads in Colorado and beyond. Colorado Parks and Wildlife recently shared photographs of a rare elk, a piebald female cow, out in the wild."This rare genetic trait occurs in about 1 out of every 100,000 elk," the agency wrote in a May 12 Facebook post. "If you're lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her, remember to give her lots of space!" Read more