Trending

7 things to know now: Sinatra dies; Flint hearings; hoverboards

Here's a roundup of news trending across the nation and world today.

What to know now:

1. Sinatra dies: Frank Sinatra Jr., who built his own successful music career in the shadow of his iconic father, died Wednesday while on tour in Florida. According to reports, Sinatra was to perform in Daytona Beach when he fell ill. Some media reports say he died of a heart attack. Sinatra was 72.

2. Michigan governor to testify:  Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will testify before Congress Thursday, about what they knew  about the levels of lead in the drinking water in Flint, Mich. McCarthy will  likely be asked why EPA officials denied they knew about the public health crisis after an agency memo released at another hearing this week indicated they did know about the problem. Snyder will testify about when he learned of the problem and the steps he took or didn't take to protect the  residents of Flint.

3. Obama nominee: President Barack Obama introduced his nominee for the vacant position on the U.S. Supreme  Court on Wednesday. Appeals court judge Merrick Garland, considered a moderate judge, stood with the president at the White House as Obama called on the Senate to "play it straight" in confirming the former prosecutor. Garland, if confirmed, would take  the  seat of the late Antonin Scalia. Scalia died last  month. Republican Senate leaders have said they will not hold hearings on Garland's nomination.

4. Deputies disciplined: Five North Carolina sheriff deputies who did nothing while a man at a rally for GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump punched a protestor in the face, have  been disciplined by the Cumberland County Sheriff. According to the sheriff's office, three of the five who were working at a Fayetteville, N.C., rally when the incident  happened  were demoted and were suspended without pay for five days, while the other two were suspended without pay for three  days. They are also on a one-year probation. According to the sheriff, the deputies were disciplined for   "unsatisfactory performance and failing to discharge the duties and policies of the office of the sheriff."

5. No GOP debate: The Republican presidential debate scheduled for Monday in Salt Lake City has been canceled. Both Donald Trump and John Kasich declined invitations to attend. Trump said in several interviews Wednesday that "we've had enough debates."

And one more

Hoverboards, or, as the U.S. government calls them, "personal transporters," that use self-balancing technology developed by the Segway company,  have been banned from sale in the United States. The U.S. International Trade Commission issued the ban on the devices, saying they infringe on Segway's technology and patents.

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