Donald Trump insults someone (again), ISIS makes a chilling announcement and we may have a new branch in our family tree.
It’s Thursday, and here are five things to know for your New Day.
CAMPAIGN 2016
Insult: The Donald has done it again. Donald Trump took a swipe at fellow GOP candidate Carly Fiorina’s looks in a Rolling Stone cover article that came out yesterday. Trump was watching a newscast when a video clip zoomed in on her. Trump exclaimed to writer Paul Solotaroff, “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president.” Trump added that he wasn’t supposed to say bad things about a woman, “but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?” So what will be the fallout from this latest Trump gaffe? Judging by what’s happened to him so far in this campaign, probably nothing but a bump in the polls.
IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL
Rally: The Iran nuke deal is a done deal. That hasn’t stopped conservative forces from rallying against it, which they literally did yesterday. A who’s-who roster of conservative stars and candidates — Donald Trump! Sarah Palin! Ted Cruz! Phil Robertson from “Duck Dynasty!” — headlined the rally, which bashed the Iran deal and the Republican establishment. GOP plans to fight the deal in Congress hit another snag yesterday, when debate on the resolution that would block the deal was held up by a revolt of conservative House members, who want the White House to hand over more details about the agreement.
SYRIA
Unhappy: The Russians are in Syria, and the U.S. isn’t happy about it. Secretary of State John Kerry called his Russian counterpart to complain yesterday about Moscow’s buildup of troops in the war-torn country. (Russia is a key Syrian ally.) Russia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the buildup of troops, but insisted they were only there to teach Syrian troops how to use Russian military hardware. So why are the Russians really there? Probably to attack moderate Syrian rebels, who are supported by the U.S.
ISIS HOSTAGES
Sale: ISIS let the world know it’s holding two more foreign nationals hostage in an unusual, ominous way: a two-page ad. In the latest edition of Dabiq — ISIS’ online magazine — the final pages show two men in yellow jumpsuits staring at the camera, with the words “FOR SALE” posted at the bottom. The terrorists ask for an undisclosed ransom to pay for their “release and transfer.” The most chilling part of the pages is at the bottom: “Note: This is a limited time offer.”
NEW SPECIES
Kin: Well this will shake up the family tree. Scientists working in a cave near Johannesburg, South Africa, say they have found a new species of human relative: Homo naledi. The species had a small brain no bigger than an orange, curved finger bones, long legs and feet nearly identical to ours. That’s not the only similarity. Scientists believe Homo naledi buried its dead, a behavior previously thought was limited to humans. How the new species will affect our current understanding of human evolution remains to be seen.