The U.S. ambassador to South Korea is attacked. The U.S. Justice Department releases its report on Ferguson. And Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s lawyer says, yes, Tsarnaev bombed the Boston Marathon.
It’s Thursday, and here are the 5 Things to Know for Your New Day:
AMBASSADOR ATTACKED
Slashed with knife: Mark Lippert, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, was injured in a knife attack this morning in Seoul. Lippert was slashed on his right cheek and hand while giving a speech. The suspect in the attack is a 55-year-old man who opposed the joint South Korea-U.S. military drills that started earlier this week.
FERGUSON
Report released: The Justice Department released its report on Ferguson yesterday, in which it declined to charge police officer Darren Wilson in Michael Brown’s killing. But the department also found systemic racial discrimination by the Ferguson police and courts against blacks. Attorney General Eric Holder cited racist emails, illegal searches and the use of excessive force against African Americans as part of the “highly toxic environment” that helped the city become a powder keg after Brown’s death last summer.
BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING TRIAL
‘It was him’: Those were the words of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s lawyer yesterday, admitting — on the first day of his trial — that Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, bombed the Boston Marathon in April 2013. If his guilt is not in question, his lawyer said, the reason why he did it is. The defense insists Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was hopelessly under the influence of his older brother. The prosecution said the Tsarnaev brothers simply wanted to kill as many people as possible. Tsarnaev faces 30 counts, 17 of which carry a possible death sentence.
BEN CARSON
‘I apologize’: Retired neurosurgeon (and probable GOP presidential candidate) Ben Carson apologized last night for saying that homosexuality must be a choice, since some people go to prison heterosexual but come out gay. “So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question,” Carson said on CNN’s “New Day” yesterday. By the end of the day, uproar over his comments forced his apology. Carson’s comment comes as the GOP tries to avoid the kinds of incendiary talk that’s doomed its candidates in the past.
MINE DISASTER
Dozens dead: The bodies of all 33 people killed in a coal mine explosion in Ukraine have been recovered. The deadly blast occurred yesterday at Zasyadko mine in the Donetsk region, which is controlled by pro-Russion separatists. Methane gas, not shelling, is thought to be the cause of the explosion. But Ukraine complained that the separatists were denying Ukrainian rescue teams access to the site. The Zasyadko mine is a dangerous place to work — more than 240 workers have died their since 1999.
Those are your five biggies for the day. Here are a few others that are brewing and have the Internet buzzing:
How to crack an egg: A 16-month-old girl, making cookies with her family, shows them how SHE cracks an egg. Spoiler alert: She uses the table.
Hey, Mr. DJ: Speaking of talented toddlers, this 2-year-old boy really knows how to work those turntables.
Do you wanna play?: Nothing says “cute” like a cat and turtle playing chase around a brick pillar.
Fighting to get in: Filling out applications for internships can be tough, especially when the company you want to intern with sends you assassins to fight. (And doesn’t the assassin look like Harry Potter?)
A dog’s life: Let’s face it. Dogs have pretty easy lives. Especially this puppy, who has her own puppy carrier that her owner totes her around in.