Donald Trump keeps on keeping on. The Air Force suffers a costly accident. And happy days are here again on Wall Street.
It’s Friday, and here are five things to know for your new day.
JOURNALISTS KILLED
Flanagan’s fail: Vester Lee Flanagan carefully planned his live-on-TV murder of reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward. That careful planning extended to his getaway, but it apparently was a text message that was his undoing. A search warrant reveals sometime after the killings, Flanagan sent a text message to a friend making reference to doing “something stupid.” The text may have given police Flanagan’s cell number, which could be used to track him.
CAMPAIGN 2016
Donald dominates: When Donald Trump hit about 20% support in the polls a couple of weeks ago, pundits were firm in the belief that The Donald had already maxed out his support. Well, the latest Quinnipiac poll blows that theory to bits. Trump is now at 28%, a towering lead over the rest of the GOP field, with Ben Carson his closet competitor at 12%. Meanwhile the collapse of the Hillary Clinton campaign continues, with the poll showing Joe Biden as a better general election candidate against the GOP than her.
AIR FORCE ACCIDENT
Whoops: Back in April, a spy plane with 27 airmen on board caught fire and caused $62.4 million in damage. Thankfully everyone got out of the plane safely. So what caused the fire? Engine trouble? A battery? Some type of chemical on board? None of the above. An investigation determined a loose nut caused all of the carnage. The Air Force basically places the blame on the sloppy work of a private defense contracting company. Let’s hope that contract gets pulled.
THE PLAGUE
Medieval: Another person has died of the plague in the United States. Utah health officials announced the latest death yesterday. Although it sounds like something straight out of the middle ages, 12 people have contracted the disease in the U.S. this year. Four of them died, including the person in Utah. Earlier this week, the CDC said the number of plague cases is higher than usual this year and asked doctors to keep it on their radar when seeing patients.
STOCK MARKET
What correction?: Let’s review the week, shall we? Monday: 588-point drop. Tuesday: 204-point drop. Wailing and gnashing of teeth ensues; end times predictions flourish. Wednesday: 619-point rally. Thursday: 369-point rally. Dance party breaks out on the trading floor; drinking of champagne from glass slippers resumes. So a horrific start to the week develops into the best two-day point gain in Dow history, powered by a rise in energy stocks and a better-than-expected GDP number. What will happen today?