'Start Here': Meghan Markle's father not attending royal wedding amid health concerns

Last-minute family drama threatens to overshadow royal wedding preparations.

ByBrad Mielke, David Rind, and Kelly Terez
May 18, 2018, 4:59 AM

It's Friday, May 18, 2018. Here are some of the stories we're talking about on ABC News' new daily podcast, "Start Here."

1. The modern monarchy

Meghan Markle isn't the first American woman to marry into the Royal Family, nor is she the first American divorcée.

Both of those titles belong to Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced woman from Baltimore. She created a British constitutional crisis when Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry her.

The British people at the time weren't ready to accept a divorced woman, or an American, as their queen, according to ABC News Royal Contributor Alastair Bruce, but he tells us a lot has changed with the monarchy since then.

"Start Here" is a daily ABC News podcast hosted by Brad Mielke featuring original reporting on stories that are driving the national conversation. Listen for FREE on the ABC News app, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio -- or ask Alexa: "Play 'Start Here.'"

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PHOTO: People walk outside Windsor Castle in Windsor, U.K., May 16, 2018.
People walk outside Windsor Castle in Windsor, U.K., May 16, 2018.
Andy Rain/EPA via Shutterstock

2. 'Something major is coming'

An explosive eruption at the summit of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on Thursday shot ash higher into the air than Mount Everest.

New evacuations were ordered as lava continues to pour out of the 20 fissures. ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman tells us experts believe "something major is coming."

3. Focus on farmers

It's not something that drives the conversation in the Washington beltway, but make no mistake, farming matters to a lot of people inside the Capitol.

And today, the House is set to vote on a farm bill that has churned up arguments, concerns and animosity.

ABC News Deputy Political Director MaryAlice Parks says farmers aren't just stressed out -- they're dying at alarming rates.

PHOTO: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan expresses support for the work of the Agriculture Committee in crafting the farm bill at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 16, 2018.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan expresses support for the work of the Agriculture Committee in crafting the farm bill at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 16, 2018.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

4. Weeks of leaks

White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said there would be a shakeup after a staffer's comments dismissing the impact of Sen. John McCain, because "he's dying anyway," were leaked to the press.

In recent weeks, we've heard about teams sweeping for electronics in the White House and people being forced to keep their personal phones in lockers, but the steady stream of information continues. Alex Conant, the communications director for Sen. Marco Rubio during his presidential run, tells us how these leaks happen and why staffers go to the press.

PHOTO: An American flag flies over the North Portico of the White House in Washington, April 22, 2018.
An American flag flies over the North Portico of the White House in Washington, April 22, 2018.
Robert Alexander/Getty Images

5. 'Translating happiness'

One psychologist has created a "happiness dictionary" -- and it could help us feel better.

We speak to Dr. Tim Lomas, who's collected more than 1,000 terms for what he calls an "evolving index of 'untranslatable' words related to well-being across the world's languages."