Friday, 19 August 2022

Remembering Richard Engel's son. Plus, starting school later to let kids sleep. Here's the latest.

August 19, 2022 | VIEW IN BROWSER

Your day starts here. The latest in news, pop culture, wellness and more.

Richard Engel shares the tragic news that his 6-year-old son has died, and the latest on the search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago home. Plus, Jazzercise is back — and we gave it a try.

THE LATEST

A judge says he's inclined to unseal parts of the Mar-a-Lago search affidavit. The DOJ says that's a bad move.

A federal judge said yesterday that he is inclined to unseal at least part of the probable cause affidavit used to secure a search the Florida home of former President Donald Trump. The judge said he would give the government an opportunity to make proposed redactions to the document by Aug. 25 and then he will review it. The Justice Department has argued unsealing the affidavit would potentially jeopardize the investigation and put witnesses at risk. Trump and his allies have called for the affidavit's release, but did not file any court papers asking for it.

Richard Engel's 6-year-old son, Henry, has died after living with a rare genetic disorder.

NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel shared the tragic news yesterday that his son Henry has died at 6. Henry was born with a variation of Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes loss of use of the hands, problems with walking and intellectual disability. Engel and his wife, Mary, have shared their journey with Henry over the years on TODAY. "He had the softest blue eyes, an easy smile and a contagious giggle," Engel tweeted yesterday. "We always surrounded him with love and he returned it, and so much more."

😴Let the kids sleep: California becomes the first state to push back the start of the school day.

A landmark law passed in 2019 in California has gone into effect for this school year in order to help kids get more rest. The law says that students at public high schools cannot attend classes before 8:30 a.m. and no earlier than 8 a.m. for middle schoolers. "If you don't sleep, you can't learn, and therefore, not only will better sleep improve alertness and attention in the daytime at school, it will also improve the learning during sleep that results from the better attention," neuroscientist Dr. Steven Lockley told us.

✍🏻 How to make a will — and why you need one.

Only 46% of Americans have a will, according to a 2020 Gallup poll, which experts say is a problem because people need one to make sure they control what happens to their assets after they die. Learn the difference between a will and a living will, plus what questions you need to ask and how to seek tips on what can be a daunting process.

GIVE IT A SHOT

Achieve your life goals with easy tips.

If Jazzercise conjures visions of teal spandex, headbands and VHS tapes, you might be surprised to learn that the '80s craze is still around and even launched a digital subscription this year. We tested out Jazzercise On Demand, which costs $19.99 a month and requires no equipment for most of the workouts. Here are the pros and cons of the workout, the different classes offered, and how to tell whether it's right for you.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

Allow us to do the meal-planning for you.

Cookbook author Katie Lee Biegel stopped by to share her favorite end-of-summer entertaining recipes, and they are all about crowd-pleasers with a tropical twist. This ginger-garlic steak and noodle salad features fresh mango, carrots, cabbage and kale to go with marinated steak, as well as some peanuts on top for some crunch. You can also swap chicken, shrimp or frozen wontons in place of the steak. Try some more Hawaiian-inspired treats with a mai tai cocktail (pictured above) and slow-cooker Hawaiian pulled pork sandwiches.

DAILY DELIGHT

A little pick-me-up before you go.

These kids are all about keeping their business in the front and a party in the back. The USA Mullet Championships have released photos of their finalists in the kids division, and the boys look like they just got out of an IROC-Z blasting Bon Jovi (even though they probably don't even know what those are). A $2,500 grand prize is up for grabs for the kid who gets the most online votes.