The Morning Brief: James Comey’s Firing, MTV Star’s Death and 50/50 Day

Good morning. These are today’s top stories:

Questions loom after President Trump fires FBI boss

President Donald Trump sacked FBI Director James Comey yesterday in a shocking move that could backfire and had many Americans drawing comparisons to President Richard Nixon’s decision to fire a special prosecutor who had been investigating Watergate in 1973. The White House said Comey was fired because of how he handled a probe into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server. Democrats speculated that Trump actually fired Comey because he was leading an investigation into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to sway the 2016 election.

Rob & Big star dies of heart attack at 45

Reality star Christopher “Big Black” Boykin, best known for his appearances on MTV’s Rob & Big, has died from a heart attack at age 45, his spokesperson told PEOPLE. In a statement, MTV said the network is “deeply saddened” about the loss, calling Boykin a “longtime and beloved member of the MTV family.”

It’s 50/50 Day, a call for gender equality

Today is 50/50 Day — a little-known international day of recognition that filmmaker Tiffany Shlain organized to spark conversations across the globe about the lack of gender equality and shortage of female leaders in business, politics and culture. “The purpose of 50/50 Day is to awaken those who have forgotten their history,” writes Take The Lead co-founder and author Gloria Feldt for Motto. “May it remind us that women are more than capable and have paid our dues multiple times over.”

Also:

South Korea‘s new president-elect Moon Jae-in is willing to visit North Korea.

A federal judge has ordered pilots for Spirit Airlines to resume flying after hundreds of flight cancellations.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is giving a controversial commencement address at a historically black university today.

The director of the Census Bureau has abruptly quit ahead of the 2020 population count.

American Idol is officially coming back to television — this time on ABC.

A Nevada teenager is getting a year’s worth of free Wendy’s nuggets after breaking the record for most retweeted tweet.

The newest food craze taking over social media is a dish called “cloud eggs.”

The Morning Brief is published Mondays through Fridays. Email Morning Brief writer Melissa Chan at melissa.chan@time.com.