A shooting incident in Texas ignites a free speech debate. Baltimore tries to put last week behind it. And Britain’s newest princess meets her family.
It’s Monday, and here are five things to know for your New Day.
TEXAS SHOOTING
Probe begins: Who were the two men who opened fire outside a contest for Prophet Mohammed cartoons in a Dallas suburb? The men were shot dead by police last night, but details about their religion or motive weren’t immediately known. The keynote speaker at the event was right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who was placed on an al Qaeda hit list, and it was sponsored by the American Freedom Defense initiative, considered by some to be an anti-Muslim group. The shooting quickly reignited the debate on free speech versus provocation.
BALTIMORE
Return to normal?: Not quite, but the lifting of a citywide curfew yesterday is a big step in that direction for Baltimore. In addition to the end of the curfew, the National Guard is preparing to leave sometime this week and Mondawmin Mall, the flashpoint for last week’s riots, reopened yesterday. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake called the lifting of the curfew and reopening of the mall ” a great day for this community.” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said some 200 businesses in Baltimore — many minority-owned and lacking insurance — were lost in the riots. Hogan said it was time to “get people back to normal.”
ISRAEL PROTESTS
More unrest: Police issues also bubbled up in the Middle East yesterday, when a protest in Tel Aviv over alleged police mistreatment of Ethiopian Jews turned violent. Authorities used horses, water cannons and smoke to disperse the protesters, who had been chanting “a violent cop should be in jail.” They were upset about a video from last week that appears to show an Israeli soldier of Ethiopian descent being assaulted by police. Forty-three protesters were arrested in the chaos. Twelve protesters were injured, along with 57 officers.
ROYAL BIRTH
Meet the family: She doesn’t have a name (yet), but Britain’s newest princess is getting to know her family. The newborn daughter of Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, met Prince Charles and his wife Camilla at Kensington Palace yesterday. Aunt Pippa Middleton and grandmother Carol Middleton have also reportedly met the baby. So what about her name? Speculation is rampant, but the top three choices on betting websites are Alice, Charlotte and Olivia.
BOXING
What now?: Now that the “fight of the century” is over, what does boxing do now? The Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight may not have had the excitement that its billing promised, but it was, at the very least, a good excuse to get together with friends and pay exorbitant prices for pay-per-view. But will this be the last fight we do that for? Most boxing fans said this bout should have happened five years ago, when both fighters were in their prime. And outside of Mayweather and Pacquiao, there aren’t any other personalities in the boxing realm that can draw in large numbers of fight fanatics and casual fans (and their money). Boxing’s best best? Crank up the rematch hype machine.
Those are your five biggies for the day. Here are a few others that are brewing and have the Internet buzzing.
Young fighter: This 5-year-old boy channels his inner Bruce Lee.
Ninja cat: Watch this sneaky kitty execute a perfect sneak attack on two buddies.
New toy: A baby elephant has fun with his bathtub.
Remake: Two cellists go to work on Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us.”
Open it up: Since “unboxing” videos are all the rage, watch “Weird Al” Yankovic unbox his 2015 Grammy award.