5 things you need to know Wednesday
1. The Rev. Pinckney to lie in state at the South Carolina Capitol
The casket of South Carolina State Sen. Clementa Pinckney will lie in state Wednesday for public viewing. Pinckney, the chief pastor of Emanuel AME Church, was one of nine victims in the Charleston, S.C., shooting last week during a Bible study. Described as "a giant, a legend and a moral compass," Pinckney's work at Emanuel and in the state was admired by many across the country. Pinckney's funeral will take place later this week.
2. Americans trash $640 worth of food a year
Americans throw away hundreds of dollars worth of food every year, but the environmental impact of trashed leftovers piling up in landfills is going largely unnoticed, according to a survey out Wednesday from the American Chemistry Council. At at time when Americans may be more attuned than ever to the environmental impacts of buying food, with a growing concern about the chemical makeup of food, buying organic and sourcing locally, they're still struggling to avoid throwing a lot of food away, data show.
3. Tsarnaev to be formally sentenced to death
The fate of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the convicted Boston Marathon bomber, will be confirmed Wednesday after a federal jury recommended the death penalty in May. U.S. District Judge George O'Toole will make the sentence official, and Tsarnaev will have an opportunity to address the court. But the road doesn't end there. Since he received the death penalty, the decision will automatically go through an appeals process in the higher court. In April 2013, Tsarnaev, along with his late brother Tamerlan, set off two bombs at the Boston Marathon finish line. Three people died, and about 260 others were injured. Additionally, a police officer died during the hunt for the suspects after the attack.
4. Jindal to announce 2016 plans in New Orleans
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will enter an already crowded field for the 2016 Republican nomination for president. Jindal's announcement comes as no surprise, as the governor formed a presidential exploratory committee in May. Jindal is a two-term governor who's known for his opposition to the Affordable Care Act and attention to Christian conservatives. Jindal will be the 12th candidate in the Republican field, following recent announcements from former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Donald Trump, a real estate mogul and reality TV star.
5. Review of U.S. hostage policy due — and new policies likely
A report on U.S. hostage policy will be released Wednesday, six months after President Obama ordered a task force review. New policies and a plan to create an office to work with families of hostages kidnapped overseas are likely to be announced. The goal of the task force "was to make sure that we were better and more closely integrating the wide variety of U.S. government assets that are used to try to safely recover U.S. citizens who are being held hostage," according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest. The administration also wants "to improve the process of communicating with families who have loved ones who are going through this terrible situation," Earnest said.
Bonus: For car buffs with cash to spare, an old GM factory is about to be reborn as a private playground with a place to store, show off and test-drive high-end vehicles. The $60 million M1 Concourse project will break ground Wednesday.
And, the essentials:
Weather: The north-central U.S. could see severe storms on Wednesday while high heat bakes the Southeast and West.
Stocks: U.S. stock futures were lower Wednesday.
TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at Big Brother and First Peoples.
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