Wednesday briefing: Comey indictment, royal state dinner, drought map and more

Here are the verified developments to know on Wednesday.

The biggest story of the day is the Justice Department’s announcement that a federal grand jury indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges tied to an alleged threat against President Donald Trump. Reuters reported that Comey later appeared in court and was released pending further proceedings.

In Washington, the White House said President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted King Charles III and Queen Camilla for a state visit and state dinner. The administration also released dinner details the day before.

Elsewhere, the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map showed drought conditions covering a large share of the country, and Washington Post reported that about 63% of the U.S. was in drought as conditions worsened.

Also in the news: Red Lobster said on April 20 that Endless Shrimp would return for a limited time starting that day.

Taken together, the day’s briefing mixes legal, political, environmental and consumer updates that were all confirmed in official releases or same-day reporting.