5 things you need to know Tuesday
1. Tom Brady appeals Deflategate suspension
Tom Brady appeals his four-game Deflategate suspension Tuesday in New York in front of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell's decision upholding, reducing or eliminating the punishment won't likely cause major changes in perceptions of a four-time Super Bowl champion — perceptions enhanced during a stellar 15-year NFL career, yet sullied in one game in which he may have knowingly used deflated footballs. If the suspension stands, Brady could file a federal lawsuit against the league or Goodell, perhaps including a request for a temporary restraining order that would allow him to play while the legal process plays out.
2. S.C. lawmakers meet amid call for Confederate flag's removal
The South Carolina state legislature is set to meet Tuesday to discuss the budget, and officials, including Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley and state Sen. Marlon Kimpson, will rally outside the Capitol to call on the lawmakers to vote on removing the Confederate flag from the State House grounds. Despite bipartisan support and Gov. Nikki Haley's statement that it's time to move the flag, it won't be easy to take the flag down, and it won't happen quickly.
3. USA, Japan remember WWII's bloodiest battle
The Battle of Okinawa, the final and bloodiest battle of the Pacific war, raged 70 years ago from April 1 to June 23, 1945. Thousands of people, including U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, gathered Tuesday at a memorial service on the southern part of the island to remember the roughly 240,000 lives lost during that time. Takejiro Higa, 92, a former Japanese-American soldier, shares his story with Paste BN about how his language skills saved thousands of innocent lives on the island.
4. Rents aren't just rising in New York and San Francisco
Home rental prices are climbing across much of the United States — with the biggest gains coming not from New York or San Francisco but Jackson, Miss., and Portland, Maine. Real estate data firm Zillow said Tuesday that prices nationally climbed a seasonally adjusted 4.3% in May from a year ago. The steadily rising costs of renting houses and apartments are creating new financial pressures for many Americans. Rental prices have grown at roughly double the rate of wages, forcing more Americans to limit their spending elsewhere or cut into their savings.
5. WWE's 'Tough Enough' returns to the ring
The pro-wrestling juggernaut WWE has dusted off the Tough Enough reality-competition franchise and relaunches it Tuesday live on USA. What American Idol and The Voice are to recording artists, Tough Enough is to the body-slamming, suplexing contingent who want to wind up on USA's Monday Night Raw or Syfy's Smackdown prime-time showcases. On Tough Enough — which premiered on MTV in 2001 but has been dormant since 2011 — 13 male and female finalists will be giving it their all in the ring and on the microphone to show their stuff.
And, the essentials:
Weather: Intense heat will scorch much of the country Tuesday while severe weather rattles the Northeast.
Stocks: U.S. stock futures were higher Tuesday.
TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at Royal Pains and Another Period.
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Contributing: Associated Press