A lengthy list of complaints for the cop in the Chicago video killing … Turkey and Russia play the antagonism game … And Donald Trump reintroduces his foot to his mouth.
It’s Thanksgiving Day, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door:
1. Chicago cop complaints
We need to talk, again: The Chicago police officer who gunned down 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in the dash-cam video we saw this week had a long list of complaints against him. According to the Citizens Police Data Project, which keeps track of such things, at least 20 complaints were filed against Jason Van Dyke during his 14-year career. That’s more than one a year on average. None of them resulted in discipline before now. That changed this week when he was charged with first-degree murder.
2. Turkey, Russia and Syria
Come on kids, behave: Don’t we have enough going on these days without adding saber rattling to the list? About the only thing Russia and Turkey agree on following this week’s shoot down is that it involved a Russian warplane. Beside all the verbal jousting, Moscow is upping the ante by putting surface-to-air missiles at its airbase in Syria. It’s just 30 miles from the Turkish border. If a NATO jet gets shot down, things could get ugly, folks.
3. Donald Trump
Is that really presidential?: Wow, just wow. You can pretty much count on Donald Trump making headlines everyday. Some are more dubious than others. The Donald pegged the tasteless meter by mocking a reporter with a physical disability. The New York Times is asking for an apology after Trump lampooned Serge Kovaleski at a political rally in South Carolina this week. The Trump campaign hasn’t responded yet to a request for comment. We’re looking forward to their explanation.
4. Space anomaly
Got our hopes up: Folks who keep their eyes on the stars had us all excited a few weeks ago when they suggested some flickers of space light might be signs of extraterrestrial life. Well, you can exhale now. Here’s the latest theory: The strange dips in light were likely caused by a “swarm of comets.” Is it that time of year already? Space nerds can now go back to anticipating the new “Star Wars” movie. We know where those flickers of light come from.
5. Stedman Bailey
Prayers for Sted: St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey is recuperating in a South Florida ICU. Coach Jeff Fisher says Bailey underwent hours of surgery after someone unloaded a gun into a car while he sat in a Miami Gardens neighborhood. A report on NFL.com said he was shot twice in the head. Bailey is in the middle of a four game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He’s eligible to return on December 7, but Fisher says it’s highly unlikely he’ll be back this year because of his wounds.