5 things you need to know Thursday
North Carolina lawmakers announce deal to repeal the state's bathroom bill
North Carolina Republican lawmakers said Wednesday night that they reached an agreement with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on legislation to resolve a standoff over HB2, the state’s “bathroom bill." HB2 requires transgender people to use bathrooms based on their birth certificate and not by the gender in which they identify.The new proposal would repeal HB2 but would leave state legislators in charge of policy on public multi-stall restrooms, among other changes. The bill first has to clear the Senate Rules Committee Thursday morning before heading to the full chamber.. The NCAA has said North Carolina sites won’t be considered for championship events from 2018 to 2022 “absent any change” in the law, which it views as discrimination .
With House investigation on Russia stalled, Senate will carry on
Amid intense controversy, the Senate Intelligence Committee will hold a hearing Thursday on Russia's interference in the 2016 elections. A similar investigation in the House has stalled amid turmoil surrounding its chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif. Nunes has been under pressure to recuse himself from the investigation since he revealed he met with an unnamed source at the White House to view intelligence reports that he said showed that Trump transition members, and possibly President Trump himself, were swept up in surveillance following the election. The FBI is also conducting its own investigation to determine the extent of Russia's interference and whether members of the Trump campaign coordinated their efforts with Russian officials.
SpaceX ready for relaunch
SpaceX’s first relaunch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center into orbit is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. Teams prepared for the commercial satellite’s launch during a practice countdown Monday that resulted in a three-second test firing of nine Merlin main engines. There is a 70% chance of favorable weather for the Thursday liftoff . The odds drop slightly to 60% on Friday, the mission's backup launch day.
British lawmakers to discuss terrorism risks with Silicon Valley leaders
Eight days after a terror attack near Parliament, British officials will meet with Silicon Valley leaders to urge proactivity in response to terrorists on digital platforms. The Thursday meeting will be with Facebook, Twitter and Google, all of which are facing criticism from British lawmakers who say the companies are not doing enough to combat the risks. Police said attacker Khalid Masood used WhatsApp, an encrypted messaging app owned by Facebook, before killing four people in London last week, but security cannot access the message.
You can preorder Samsung’s new smartphones today
Samsung began taking preorders on Thursday for its highly anticipated pair of new smartphones — the Galaxy S8 and S8+ unveiled yesterday. With its sleek, gorgeous new phones, Samsung has replaced a physical home button with a pressure sensitive button beneath the curved glass display and added Bixby, an AI-voice assistant similar to Apple’s Siri. The release comes after Samsung has been mired in issues with the combustible Galaxy Note 7, which was recalled after customers discovered their phones literally exploding. The S8 and S8+ officially go on sale April 21 and will cost around $750 and $850, respectively.
