Protests get emotional in Baltimore. Saudi Arabia restarts airstrikes in Yemen. And the NFL releases its schedule for next season.
It’s Wednesday, and here are the five things to know for your New Day.
FREDDIE GRAY
Protests grow: It was an emotional day yesterday in Baltimore, as the fallout from Freddie Gray’s death continued. Protesters rallied last night, marching to a local police station. Among the crowd were members of Gray’s family, including his mother, who cried and collapsed at the spot where her son was arrested. Earlier in the day, Baltimore police released the names of the six officers involved in Gray’s arrest. They have been suspended with pay. The Justice Department also joined the fray, announcing it would investigate to see if Gray’s civil rights were violated. Gray died Sunday, a week after his arrest and after suffering a severe spinal injury while in police custody.
YEMEN UNREST
Airstrikes resume: The Saudi-led coalition resumed airstrikes in Yemen today, less than 24 hours after stopping the bombing and launching Operation Renewal of Hope, a new initiative focused on the political process in the war-torn country. Saudi Arabia is claiming victory over the Iranian-allied Houthi rebels, saying that the month of airstrikes had degraded Houthi-controlled military infrastructure. A senior Saudi official said that the Houthis agreed to “nearly all demands” of the U.N. Security Council and that former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his family will leave Yemen and never return for a position in politics. With Renewal of Hope, the coalition seeks to bring back Yemen’s “security and stability through establishing a political process.”
BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING TRIAL
The finger: That’s what the jury — charged with deciding if Dzhokhar Tsarnaev lives or dies — saw yesterday when a photo, taken when he was in a holding cell in the same courthouse where his trial is being held, was shown in court. In the image, the now-convicted Boston Marathon bomber glares into the camera and defiantly raises his middle finger. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini said Tsarnaev was “unrepentant” and saw the people he killed as “the enemy.” The victim impact part of the case also started yesterday, with often heartbreaking testimony from survivors and families of the dead.
CLINTON BOOK
‘Cash’ clash: Explosive exposé or conspiracy theory? That’s the range of reactions to an upcoming book on Hillary Clinton that serves as the first major test of her presidential campaign’s ability to fight off attacks from detractors. “Clinton Cash” by Peter Schweizer alleges that the former secretary of state used her position to benefit foreign donors to the Clinton Foundation who helped it accomplish its philanthropic mission. The book provides fresh fodder for Republicans — especially 2016 GOP hopefuls — looking to attack the Democratic frontrunner on foreign policy. Clinton, her team and other Democrats are already mounting a campaign to discredit the book — and Schweizer.
NFL
Schedules released: Are you ready for some football? If you are, you still have to wait five months before the pigskin starts flying, but at least now you know who’s playing whom. The season kicks off on (what else) a Thursday night in September with the defending champion New England Patriots taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Other notable games include the Philadelphia Eagles (and newly acquired running back DeMarco Murray) playing Murray’s former team, the Dallas Cowboys, on September 20. Pro football’s nastiest current rivalry — the Seattle Seahawks vs. the San Francisco 49ers — resumes on October 22. And the rematch to one of the greatest NFC championship games in history will be played on September 20 when the Green Bay Packers host the Seahawks.
Those are your five biggies for the day. Here are a few others that are brewing and have the Internet buzzing.
SloGo: Would wearing a GoPro camera to your boring office job make it more exciting? Probably not.
Cards and currency: A magician wows the judges with a couple of tricks on “Britain’s Got Talent.”
Back flip: She thought doing a back flip off a store counter was a great idea. It was a total fail.
Cute quokka: Meet the quokka, who may be the world’s friendliest animal.
Chicken run: Chickens chasing blueberries. That’s all you need to know.
