While you were sleeping, we compiled the biggest stories of the day in one place. Each story has a quick and easy summary, so you're prepared for whatever the day brings. Just click on the links if you want to know more!
1. What's in Florida's new state budget:
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida's budget on Wednesday. All told, the new budget allots $22.8 billion for K-12 education, including $120 million for in-school mental health initiatives, a $20 million increase over last year.
In addition, the budget allocates more than $625 million for environmental causes, including more than $415 million for Everglades restoration projects and $302 million for targeted water quality improvements.
A few other highlights include:
- $326 million to continue Florida's response efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic
- $10.3 billion for transportation investments and projects
- $28 million for Florida’s military presence and families
- $37.5 million in cybersecurity improvements
2. Speaking of cyber security: Now it's affecting meat
There are concerns about the nation’s meat supply due to a cyberattack at meat processing company JBS. Like we saw during the Colonial Pipeline shutdown that created panic buying with gas, disruption in just about any industry is a concern.
Brian Long, the Director of Supply Management Research at Grand Valley State University, Long admits it’s hard to tell if meat prices will rise directly because of the cyberattack, but he does predict prices will continue to increase through the year. Long says a worker shortage is still the biggest issue throughout the supply chain.
The U.S. still has the cheapest food prices in the world. The Department of Agriculture estimates beef prices will climb 1-2% this year, poultry as much as 1.5%, and pork 2-3%.
3. Speaking of the governor: Candidate Nikki Fried speaks to WPTV
A day after Florida's agriculture commissioner announced she is running for governor, Nikki Fried spoke with WPTV morning anchor Mike Trim about her decision to run for the state's highest office.
Calling herself a "fierce fighter," Fried said she has seen injustice while traveling across the state in her current role. She specifically pointed out problems with the state's education system and issues distributing unemployment benefits problems at the height of the pandemic last year.
The 43-year-old Fort Lauderdale attorney was the only Democrat to win a statewide election in 2018 and is the lone Democrat in the governor's cabinet.
4. No, Donald Trump's Facebook, Instagram accounts are not active again
It appeared on Wednesday that Facebook had activated former President Donald Trump's account, months after it blocked the account.
While his old posts are visible, Facebook's Communications Director responded that Trump remains "indefinitely suspended."
The news of the possibility that Trump was back on Facebook and Instagram comes hours after the "From the Desk of Donald J. Trump" blog page was shutteredand all previous posts removed from the DonaldJTrump.com website.
5. Biden administration pushes Florida to participate in vaccine 'month of action'
The president called for June to be a "month of action" as he tried to get 70 percent of U.S. adults at least one shot by July 4.
The latest data, however, shows Florida could be doing better with 55 percent of Floridians, 15 and older, had at least one shot as of June 1.
Nationally, the U.S. wasn't too far off from the 70 percent goal. Officials said about 63 percent of adult Americans had gotten at least one shot, including 73 percent of those age 40 and over.
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On This Day In History
On June 3, 1965, 120 miles above the Earth, Major Edward H. White II opens the hatch of the Gemini 4 and steps out of the capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to walk in space.
Remember, you can join Mike Trim and Ashleigh Walters every weekday on WPTV NewsChannel 5 beginning at 4:30 a.m. And you can always watch the latest news from WPTV anytime on your favorite streaming device. Just search for "WPTV."
