Washington celebrates a budget deal. Hundreds die in Afghan earthquake. And there’s bad news for meat lovers.
It’s Tuesday, and here are five things to know for your new day.
BUDGET DEAL
Celebrate: Yeah! Congress actually does something for a change. Congressional leaders and the White House reached a deal yesterday on domestic and defense spending that also raises the debt ceiling. The deal could be voted on today and is expected to pass. Everybody’s drinking champagne now, right? Not so fast. Conservative Republicans are furious because they think soon-to-be-outta-here House Speaker John Boehner gave away the store to the Democrats. So the hard-right GOP plans to vote against the measure. But it probably won’t matter, because there’s enough Democratic and moderate Republican support to pass it.
STUDENT ARREST VIDEO
Trending: If you’re a school resource officer, seeing your confrontation with a student become the No. 1 trending item on Twitter is the very definition of a bad day. That’s what happened to Deputy Ben Fields, an officer at a high school in Columbia, South Carolina. A video circulated widely on social media yesterday showed him violently removing a female student from her desk. He’s now on administrative leave and won’t return to the school. As often is the case in these incidents, people are split (on social media, at least). Many expressed shock at the force used, while others noted the girl was not complying with the officer’s demands.
POLICE SHOOTINGS
Chilling: Is the “Ferguson effect” really a thing? The director of the FBI seems to think so. But first, what is the “Ferguson effect?” It’s the idea that police are hesitant to do their jobs because of a backlash after several high-profile police shooting incidents. No cop wants to be the next Darren Wilson. Some say this has led to an increase in crime in some U.S. cities, and FBI Director James Comey agrees with this line of thinking. Comey said “a chill wind” is blowing through law enforcement in the United States.
AFGHANISTAN EARTHQUAKE
Deadly: More than 300 people have died in yesterday’s earthquake in Afghanistan, also felt in Pakistan, India and Tajikistan. The death toll is horrible and probably will rise. But the scale of devastation may not be apparent for a few days until relief workers make their way to the remote, mountainous communities.
MEAT AND CANCER
Connected: This has got to be a vegetarian plot, right? The World Health Organization released a report yesterday that said consumption of processed meats — ham, bacon, sausages; otherwise known as the good stuff — raises a person’s risk of having cancer. The WHO even said processed meat is as bad a carcinogen as smoking and asbestos. Say it ain’t so! Meat eaters despaired; vegetarians rejoiced. WHO experts stressed that the cancer risk from meats is small, but increases with the amount of consumption. On Twitter, a lot of meat eaters said they’ll take the chance. Got more questions on this? CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta will answer them today on Facebook.