Historic election wraps up in Myanmar. The Donald and Ben Carson had busy weekends. And Southern California enjoyed a light show.
It’s Monday, and here are five things to know for your new day.
MYANMAR
Election day: Who were the victor’s in Myanmar’s historic elections? Results are expected to be announced early this week, after millions of people voted yesterday in an election billed as the country’s freest vote in a quarter-century. The party of opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is seeking a bigger role in the country’s political process.
CAMPAIGN 2016
Ballot busters: We’re a year away from Election Day! So what important issues are being discussed on the campaign trail? Reviews of Donald Trump’s “Saturday Night Live” appearance and Ben Carson’s hatred for the media. Yes, the level of discourse is high today. The Donald got big ratings, but lukewarm reviews for his hosting gig on “SNL.” Perhaps people were expecting more from the ex-“Apprentice” host. Meanwhile Carson is still mad at the media because we won’t take him at his word that he was some kind of holy terror as a kid. He said no candidate has ever had to put up with such scrutiny, but he’s not worried about it, because all the controversy is helping him raise money. Um, OK. It’s gonna be one heck of a year.
MISSOURI FOOTBALL
Pigskin protest: The University of Missouri’s football team has had a tough season so far: the Tigers are only 4-5. Now many wonder if the team will even finish the season. Over the weekend, the team’s black players announced they would essentially go on strike until university President Tim Wolfe resigned or was fired. Many black students on campus say Wolfe and the rest of the school’s administration has taken little to no action after several racial incidents on campus. One student has even started a hunger strike. Wolfe, in a statement released yesterday, didn’t sound like a man about to quit his job. So what happens if the players refuse to play when the Tigers take on Brigham Young on Saturday? That’s not entirely clear, at this point.
MYSTERY IN THE SKY
Light show: So just what was that bright, white light streaming through the Southern California sky over the weekend? The northern lights? Aliens? No, it was something a whole lot less exotic. Apparently the U.S. military test fired a missile from a submarine located right off the Southern California coast. The unarmed missile became a social media star Saturday as it burned its way through the night sky, with lots of folks posting photos to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
STARBUCKS
Holiday huff: Guess the war on Christmas started early this year. Starbucks’ new cups for the holiday season are a simple two-toned red: unlike past years, there are no holiday designs on them. This upset some folks, including a former pastor who blasted Starbucks over the cups via a video on Facebook, saying “they hate Jesus.” Starbucks responded to the video by explaining it tries “to create a culture of belonging, inclusion and diversity.” So be careful getting that cup of Starbucks this season, because you’ll be stepping right into the middle of a culture war.