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5 Things to Know

5 things you need to know Tuesday

Editors
USA TODAY
Simon Cowell, 'America's Got Talent's' new judge and executive producer, watches an audition during a show taping in Pasadena, Calif.

Simon Cowell is back, doing what he does best: Judging

After a 2½-year absence from American TV, Simon Cowell is back as a judge of American talent. Cowell, who helped lead a talent-competition renaissance as the arch arbiter of monster hit American Idol, rejoins the U.S. reality TV landscape for Season 11 of the NBC summer hit America's Got Talent (Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET/PT), a show he created and produces. But it’s not as if he’s out of practice offering opinions: Since the U.S. version of The X Factor, Cowell has judged on Britain’s Got Talent and the United Kingdom's X Factor.

Senate hearing on failures of VA watchdog

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is holding a hearing Tuesday on the results of an investigation that found systemic failures in a VA inspector general’s review of a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tomah, Wis. The probe found the inspector general’s office, which is charged with independently investigating VA complaints, discounted key evidence and witness testimony. Investigators were especially troubled by the Inspector General's decision not to release its report, which found two providers at the facility had been prescribing alarming levels of narcotics.

The last day of May could mean a great deal on a car 

If you're in the market for a new car, Tuesday could be a great day to close the deal. This month has had one fewer car-selling weekend than last May, and even when fewer selling days are taken into account, major forecasts of May auto sales aren't painting a rosy picture. Automakers are going to have to roll out special incentives to turn the month into a winner, and buyers may get the upper hand.

Federally funded institute avoids comparing drugs, new study says

An institute that pays researchers to compare medical treatments has spent only half of its more than $1.4 billion in available federal money so far and has largely ignored prescription drugs, despite their role in driving up health care costs, according to a study released Tuesday by the Center for American Progress. Research gaps "involve high-cost treatments, such as certain drugs, medical devices, and surgical procedures," the report says. That's in part because some in the health care industry believe the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute has been afraid to conduct research that could antagonize "powerful industries."

Francis Collins, National Institutes of Health director, is shown here speaking to the USA TODAY Editorial Board.  Collins is a member of the PCORI board.

Marine killed in WWII to get full military burial honors

A Marine who was killed in the Pacific in World War II will receive full military burial honors as part of a special ceremony on Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington. Pfc. James Johnson, 19, is believed to have been killed in action on the first day of the four-day Battle of Tawara, on Nov. 20, 1943. Johnson’s remains were recovered as part of the Department of Defense’s mission to account for soldiers who have gone missing.

James Johnson

And the essentials:

Weather: Storms will hit the Plains, while the West Coast and New England see beautiful weather.

Stocks: U.S. stock futures were higher Tuesday.

TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at Peaky Blinders, America's GotTalent and Maya & Marty.

Be inspired: Blind raccoon gets second shot at life.

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