The presidential race is a mudslinging fest. FIFA’s No. 2 gets snared in corruption fallout. And the FBI arrests a friend of the Charleston shooting suspect.
It’s Friday, and here are the five things to know for your New Day.
PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Mudslinging continues: It’s safe to say candidates in the 2016 presidential election are taking no prisoners. Campaigning is in full swing, and in some cases, that means making everyone else look bad. Donald Trump lived up to that yesterday when an audience member at his event said President Barack Obama is a Muslim and not an American. Obama, who is a Christian, was born in Hawaii. But did Trump correct the man? Naaah. Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton tweeted that Trump’s action — or lack thereof — is “just plain wrong.”
CHARLESTON SHOOTING
Suspect’s friend arrested: Friends can be liabilities sometimes. Just ask Joey Meek, friend of confessed Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof, who was arrested by the FBI yesterday. It was not immediately clear what charges Meek faces, but he has been under investigations for allegedly knowing about the June shooting and not telling authorities, an official said. In the days after the shooting, Meek recounted how Roof drunkenly vowed one night “to do something crazy.” Roof killed nine people during a prayer meeting at a historic African-American church on June 17 in South Carolina.
FIFA FALLOUT
Red cards: Big names are going down as investigations continue into allegations of bribery in FIFA. The latest leader snared in the fallout is the international soccer governing body’s No. 2. FIFA said Secretary General Jerome Valcke was suspended, effective immediately, amid allegations he participated in a scheme to profit off the sale of World Cup tickets on the black market. FIFA has been embroiled in scandal since a U.S. grand jury indicted 14 people, including nine top FIFA officials, on corruption charges in May.
TEEN CLOCK BUILDER
So many choices: Oh what to do, what to do? Visit the White House, Google, or Facebook offices? The week started pretty terribly for Texas high school student Ahmed Mohamed. On Monday, he brought a clock to school, one he made on his own. Police arrested him for what they initially — and falsely — said was a hoax bomb. But by mid-week, it was the complete opposite. His face and name were splashed across traditional and social media. Thousands of messages of encouragement poured in, with Facebook and President Obama inviting him to the White House, and Twitter offered him internships. But wait …. there’s more! Google executives said they were reserving him a spot at their science fair and MIT asked him to visit the campus. But first, his family says, he plans to transfer to another high school. How is that for a bad week turned awesome?
MIGRANT CRISIS
About face?: First Croatia said it would take in migrants. Then it closed seven border crossings. A day after the nation invited migrants & refugees across its borders, chaos erupted as thousands overwhelmed Croatian authorities at the border town of Tovarnik. The U.N. says Croatia was prepared to handle 500 immigrants a day. Instead more than 7,000 people crossed in the first 36 hours after the Croatian president announced the country’s doors were open. By yesterday, the president was calling for possible stricter border controls.