5 things you need to know Wednesday
1. Search resumes at Alps crash site
Search and recovery operations resumed Wednesday after a Germanwings jetliner crashed in the French Alps, killing all 150 people aboard. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told RTL radio on Wednesday that the cockpit voice recorder, one of the two black boxes from the plane that was recovered on Tuesday, was damaged but could still be used for information. French Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told French network iTele that recovery crews are expected to reach the site Wednesday morning, the Associated Press reported.
2. Facebook has a lot to boast about, and a lot to explain, at its F8 developers conference
Facebook hurtles into its F8 developers conference on Wednesday with momentum befitting a company at the peak of its powers. Shares are soaring into record territory on investor confidence in the 11-year-old company's advertising business. The social-networking giant is poised to take a large slice of an ever-expanding mobile advertising market in the U.S., which is expected to rise 50% to $28.7 billion this year, according to researcher eMarketer. When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers a keynote speech at 10 a.m. Pacific Wednesday to kick off the two-day conference, he'll have plenty to boast about. And yet, he'll also have much explaining to do about the future of the company he co-founded as a Harvard University student.
3. House to vote on budget
House Republicans will employ an unusual measure to ensure their annual budget includes additional funds for the Pentagon when it comes to a vote on Wednesday. In an effort to appease both defense hawks and deficit hawks, GOP leaders are utilizing a rule that will let lawmakers vote on more than one budget plan and then allow the one with the most votes to win. "I think that's a great way to do it," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said of the rarely used legislative tactic, known as the "Queen of the Hill" rule. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., hailed the maneuver as a way to bring Republicans together and said the strategy represents "the bond between our fiscal and defense hawks."
4. Celine Dion talks about her husband's battle with cancer
An emotional Celine Dion, who has been on a leave of absence from her Las Vegas residency to care for her family, is revealing sad details about her husband's battle with cancer. The singer, 46, tells ABC News' Deborah Roberts in an interview set to air on Good Morning America and Nightline on Wednesday that Rene Angélil, 73, has to be fed by a feeding tube because of his throat cancer. "He can't eat so I feed him," Dion, wiping tears away, told Roberts during the interview in Las Vegas, which Angélil attended. "He's got a feeding tube. I have to feed him three times a day." Dion and Angélil have been married since 1994.
5. End in sight for Delta IV rocket with Wednesday's launch
A planned 2:36 p.m. ET Wednesday blastoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station will mark the beginning of the end for United Launch Alliance's Delta IV rocket, a key player in the nation's military space strategy for more than a decade. ULA recently announced plans to retire the Delta IV by 2019, part of the company's overhaul of its fleet in response to competition from SpaceX. United Launch Alliance has invited the public to help name its next-generation rocket to replace the Delta IV. You can choose from three names: Eagle, Freedom or GalaxyOne.
And the essentials:
Weather: Severe thunderstorms are expected to move across parts of the central and southern U.S.
Stocks: U.S. stock futures fell Wednesday, while Asian stocks were mostly lower.
TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at Modern Family and Broadchurch.
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