Daily Briefing: China's rivals meet

President Joe Biden will meet with leaders from Japan and the Philippines in Washington on Thursday. Also in the news: College-bound high school seniors are anxiously awaiting FAFSA fixes so they can get their college choices in on time. The Masters is back at Augusta National on Thursday and offers a unique glimpse into the state of men's golf.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Get these Mother's Day gifts for the dog mom in your life.

Here's the news to know Thursday.

China on the minds of the US, Japan and Philippines

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday's trilateral summit with President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will include an agreement to maintain security and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Biden is hosting the leaders to boost economic and defense ties as the allies seek to offset China's growing might and manage risks ranging from North Korea to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. With concerns that Russia's Ukraine invasion might embolden Beijing to move against Taiwan, a strategic self-ruled island that produces the world's most advanced semiconductors, the leaders are expected to discuss plans to upgrade the U.S. military command structure in the region. Read more

Is the FAFSA giving you a headache this year?

A lot of college-bound high school seniors are weeks away from the school year, but many are still awaiting financial aid offers, complicating decisions and if and where these young Americans will go to higher education.

What went so wrong with this year's financial aid process? At the behest of Congress, the federal government set out to simplify this year's Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. But due to a bumpy rollout of those fixes, completion of the form was down and for those who had finished the form, answers were outstanding.

• Washington and the kids are frustrated: At a congressional hearing Wednesday, a bipartisan cohort implied the credibility of the Education Department was threatened by these routine errors and repeated delays.
• Why the hold up? The Education Department says millions of students need to make vital corrections to their FAFSAs, but the technology to do these amendments won't be online until next week. Meanwhile, schools won't get corrected FAFSAs now until May 1, the typical deadline for when seniors must decide where they will attend.
• This is part of a broader argument that the Biden administration has hurt more than helped students. While the Education Department was busy canceling roughly $146 billion in student debt for more than four million Americans, GOP lawmakers say, its leaders deprioritized the FAFSA. 

More news to know now

• Five people were arrested after a shooting at an Eid-al-Fitr celebration in Philadelphia.
•  Israel said it will open a new land crossing to allow more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
• The Tennessee Senate passed a bill allowing teachers to carry guns.
• Inflation picked up again in March.
• On today's The Excerpt podcast, a look at new rules around gun sales. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Trump says he wouldn't sign a national abortion ban

Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would not sign a federal abortion ban if he's elected to a second term and reiterated that states should handle the issue, even as he criticized an Arizona court decision reinstating a law that completely bans the procedure except in life-threatening emergencies. Trump also responded to a question about whether Arizona went “too far” on abortion restrictions by declaring "Yeah, they did." Read more

• Column: "Baby Olivia" is how Republicans are lying to kids about abortion.

Greenhouse gases are rocketing to record levels

The cause of global warming shows no sign of slowing down: Levels of the three most significant human-caused greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide – continued their steady climb last year, federal scientists report. Research by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says because of the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, those three greenhouse gases in our atmosphere have risen to levels not seen in at least 800,000 years. Read more

Keep scrolling

• A NASA telescope unlocked the mysteries of black holes. Now it's on the chopping block.
• We finally have consensus that Lunchables aren't healthy.
• Snail slime for sublime skin is taking over the internet.
• Travel could be a good deal this summer.
• Review: Why Amazon's "Fallout" adaptation is so much flippin' fun.

What does the Masters say about the state of men's golf?

The game of men’s golf marks time from one year to the next when Augusta National opens its doors for another Masters. The annual tournament acts as a litmus test for the men's game (is Tiger okay?!). And this year as the Masters begins Thursday morning, there are concerns about the health of the sport as television ratings plummet and the most famous players grow increasingly divided over the money and play opportunities offered by the lucrative Saudi-backed LIV tour. Read more

• What are the most difficult holes at the Masters? 
• Here are Paste BN's predictions for all LIV Golfers at Augusta National.
• Here are the highlights (and cutest moments!) from the Masters Par 3 Contest.

Photo of the day: Crocs, but make it fashion

Your new summer-must-have? Crocs x Simone Rocha's high-fashion collaboration. The shoe collaboration, between the Colorado-based footwear company and the Irish fashion designer, comes in various styles and colors and is now available for purchase. Read more

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.