5 things you need to know Thursday
1. Tom Brady faces deadline for #DeglateGate suspension appeal
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has until 5 p.m. Thursday to file an appeal after he was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the 2015 season for his role in deflating footballs. Attorney Jeffrey Kessler will aid in the players' union's planned appeal of Brady's suspension. Kessler most recently represented Adrian Peterson in his appeal to reduce his league suspension for violating the personal conduct policy.
2. NTSB continues to investigate Amtrak train crash
Federal investigators will continue their work to determine exactly what caused an Amtrak train to derail and crash Tuesday night, killing at least seven people. The National Transportation Safety Board said the train was speeding at 106 mph when it reached a curve with a 50-mph speed limit, but now the agency must learn why the train was traveling so fast. In addition to looking at the train's data recorder and video from the front of the train, the NTSB will look into everything from cell phone use before the crash to the crew's medical history. The train's engineer refused to give a statement to law enforcement, Wednesday. Amtrak will extend its suspension of service between Washington D.C. and New York into Thursday.
3. H&M looks to hire thousands in U.S.
Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M looks to hire thousands of employees in the U.S. to support rapid expansion here. The company announced a national recruiting campaign Thursday boasting the opportunity for long-term careers, not just temporary hourly-wage jobs. H&M ads on billboards and in malls will feature statements such as "Five weeks vacation is possible" and "Making sustainability fashionable is possible." Competition for retail workers has pushed companies to create more attractive workplace environments.
4. Pro-trade senators begin 'fast track' debate
After a false start, pro-trade senators will try again Thursday to begin debate on legislation to renew expired Trade Promotion Authority to assist President Obama's trade agenda. An initial vote to begin debate on TPA, also known as "fast track" trade authority, failed Tuesday. Democrats wanted to package together four separate pieces of legislation with the fast-track measure, a maneuver rejected by Republicans because it includes legislation considered "poison pills" that risked sinking the whole package. On Wednesday, negotiators reached a deal to vote separately on the customs enforcement bill and another measure assisting African economies first, and then vote to begin debate on TPA.
5. Former U.N. ambassador, Iraq war proponent Bolton to announce 2016 plans
Another underdog may be entering the GOP 2016 presidential fray Thursday when former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton announces whether he's getting in the race. Bolton, 66, served on President George W. Bush's foreign policy team and the neoconservative was one of the most strident supporters of the war in Iraq. Bolton advocates an aggressive U.S. foreign policy and has criticized the libertarian-leaning Rand Paul for being an isolationist. "You need someone who understands in his or her gut that the most important thing they do is protect the country," Bolton said recently in New Hampshire.
And, the essentials:
Weather: Precipitation will fall in the western and central U.S. Thursday while the Great Lakes and Northeast stay cool.
Stocks:U.S. stock futures were higher Thursday.
TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at Scandal, American Crime and Elementary.
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Contributing: The Associated Press