The migrant crisis keeps getting worse. China announces a big cut. And is The Donald about to make a promise?
It’s Thursday, and here are five things to know for your new day.
MIGRANT CRISIS
‘Haunting’: The horrors of the migrant crisis currently sweeping Europe was summed up yesterday with one photo: a toddler’s lifeless body, lying face down on a beach in Turkey. The boy was one of 12 people who drowned and washed ashore yesterday. The boy and his family were Syrian Kurds trying to reach family in Canada. Elsewhere, Italy, Germany and France — seeking a united response to the crisis — presented the European Union with a joint document calling for a revision of asylum rules and a fairer distribution of refugees. Batches of refugees arrive in Munich almost daily, and in Budapest, Hungary migrants have swamped the city, waiting to board trains to Western Europe.
CHINA
Beijing bombshell: Chinese President Xi Jinping used a military parade — one of the biggest in his country’s history — as the backdrop to make an unexpected announcement. This morning Xi pledged to trim 300,000 troops from China’s 2.3-million strong military. That sounds like a big cut, but a political professor from Hong Kong says that it’s actually not that significant because China’s military budget will continue to rise at a pretty decent clip, so it was “an easy gesture for him to make.”
CAMPAIGN 2016
Promises, promises: Is Donald Trump about to formally promise to support the eventual GOP nominee — and not pursue an independent presidential bid — even if it’s not him? Our sources say he is, and a Trump spokeswoman says The Donald will meet today with RNC chairman Reince Priebus in New York. Trump has even scheduled a news conference for this afternoon at Trump Towers. But even if Trump signs the pledge, what’s to stop him from changing his mind later and running for president as an independent anyway?
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Court showdown: Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis still refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Protests haven’t done it and neither has a Supreme Court order. Will a contempt of court threat do the trick? Davis will face a judge this morning and attorneys from the ACLU want her fined (they’ve already said they don’t want her jailed). Davis’ attorneys say instead of being held in contempt, alternatives should be pursued, such as changing the marriage license forms to remove her name.
SHEEP
Chris’ cut: A champion sheep shearer set a record after clipping a sheep that had a massive amount of fleece. Chris the sheep was found outside of Canberra, Australia, this week, struggling under almost 90 pounds of fleece. Ian Elkins volunteered to shear the poor animal, reportedly setting a new record in the process. The 88 pounds of fleece trimmed from Chris easily beat the 60 pounds that was shorn from a New Zealand sheep named Shrek.