Happening Today: Obama, ‘Sanctuary Cities,' Mount Everest, ALS, Gray Death

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Obama Receives Profile in Courage Award

Former President Obama returned to the spotlight to accept an award for political courage from the John F. Kennedy family, days after House Republicans won passage of a bill dismantling much of Obama's signature health insurance law. Obama received the Profile in Courage Award during a dinner at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The annual award is named for a 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Kennedy that profiled eight U.S. senators who risked their careers by taking principled though unpopular positions. The Democrat has made few public appearances since leaving office in January and has avoided mention of his Republican successor President Donald Trump, who has criticized the previous administration numerous times while moving to undo many of Obama's initiatives. Obama still didn't say Trump's name at the ceremony, as NBC News reported, but he continued to address the needs of America today.

Texas Governor Signs Ban on So-Called “Sanctuary Cities”

Texas pushed to the forefront of national debate over immigration when Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a so-called "sanctuary cities" ban that lets police ask during routine stops whether someone is in the U.S. legally and threatens sheriffs with jail if they don't cooperate with federal immigration agents. The new Texas law was blasted by opponents as the nation's toughest on immigrants since Arizona's crackdown in 2010, disparagingly known as the "papers, please" provision. They are now vowing a court challenge in Texas similar to what unfolded in Arizona. Every major police chief in Texas, which includes some of the largest cities in the U.S., opposed the measure that allows police to inquire about the immigration status of anyone they detain, a situation that can range from arrest for a crime to being stopped for a traffic violation. It also requires police chiefs and sheriffs — under the threat of jail and removal of office — to comply with federal requests to hold criminal suspects for possible deportation. Republicans have a strong majority in the Legislature and shoved aside Democratic objections, even as President Donald Trump's efforts to withhold federal funding for sanctuary cities have hit roadblocks in federal courts.

Centrist Emmanuel Macron Becomes France's Youngest President

Ripping up France's political map, French voters elected independent centrist Emmanuel Macron as the country's youngest president, delivering a resounding victory to the unabashedly pro-European former investment banker and dashing the populist dream of far-right rival Marine Le Pen. Macron, who had never run for office before, celebrated with thousands of jubilant, flag-waving supporters outside the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday night. The European anthem "Ode to Joy" played as he strode out to address the swelling crowd. Marine Le Pen, his far-right opponent in the runoff, quickly called the 39-year-old Macron to concede after voters rejected her "French-first" nationalism by a large margin.

Nepal Wants to Limit Age for Everest After 85-Year-Old Dies

Family and supporters honored an 85-year-old Nepali man who died trying to regain his title as the oldest person to climb Mount Everest, while officials stressed the need to limit the age for such a daunting physical challenge. The death of Min Bahadur Sherchan has revived concerns about allowing elderly people to attempt to scale peaks where the conditions are harsh and oxygen level low. Nepali law requires Everest climbers to be at least 16 but there's no upper age limit. The association is planning to push the government to limit the age of climbers to at least 76, he said. Sherchan died on Saturday evening at the Everest base camp. Another Nepali man, Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya, died in 2011 at age 82 while attempting to scale Everest. Hundreds of climbers have died on Everest alongside the more than 4,000 who've successfully summited the world's highest mountain since 1953. Bottled oxygen and better climbing equipment have helped reduce deaths significantly in recent decades, along with satellite communication equipment and better medical facilities.

Appeals Court Taking up Revised Trump Travel Ban

A federal appeals court is considering lifting a stay blocking President Trump's travel ban, NBC News reported. The 15-member 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, will consider the appeal and bypass the normal first step of a hearing before a three-judge panel. A federal judge in Maryland had blocked Trump's executive order on March 16. Opponents of the ban had said Trump made it clear, through statements during the campaign, that the executive order is based on religion. However, the Trump administration argues the president's past statements are irrelevant and that all that matters is what the president has said and did since taking office.

FDA Approves New Drug to Treat ALS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat patients suffering from amyotrophic latersclerosis or commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The drug, Radicava, is the first new treatment approved specifically for ALS in 22 years. "This is the first new treatment approved by the FDA for ALS in many years, and we are pleased that people with ALS will now have an additional option" said Eric Bastings, M.D., deputy director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. The drug is "an intravenous infusion given by a health care professional," with "an initial treatment cycle of daily dosing for 14 days, followed by a 14-day drug-free period," the FDA said in a news release. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

Gray Death: The New Killer Drug in the War Against Opioids

Ominously named Gray Death, the killer drug cocktail is making headlines in the ongoing war against the national opioid crisis, NBC News reported. What exactly is Gray Death? Start with heroin. Mix in the powerful painkiller fentanyl, which has 50 times more punch. Add a dash of carfentanil, which is an animal tranquilizer 100 times more powerful than fentanyl and made to be used on tigers and elephants. While limited to the Gulf Coast and states like Georgia and Ohio, it is still on the federal Drug Enforcement Agency's radar. and "we are monitoring the potential spread of this deadly combination of drugs." "It's mad science and the guinea pigs are the American public," Russ Baer of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency told NBC News. "The ingredients come from abroad but this is made in America."

MTV Awards Salute “Beauty and the Beast,” “Stranger Things”

Film hit "Beauty and the Beast" and Netflix newcomer "Stranger Things" were the big winners with two trophies apiece as MTV partied with its Movie & TV Awards show. For this, the 26th edition of what was formerly known as the MTV Movie Awards, TV was added to the mix. "Stranger Things" was decreed the Show of the Year, and its cast member, Millie Bobby Brown, was named Best Actor in a Show. "Beauty and the Beast" was the Movie of the Year, with its star, Emma Watson, the Best Actor in a Movie. But the awards had another trick up its sleeve, introducing a policy of breaking down gender barriers, as men and women competed jointly in the acting categories.