Hitting Trump, beating ISIS and filling the court. It’s Thursday, and here are the five things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
CAMPAIGN 2016
Hand me that stick: Every day between now and the convention, the GOP establishment is gonna whack Donald Trump like a pinata to keep him from being the nominee. Yesterday, Mr. Establishment himself — Mitt Romney — insinuated there’s a “bombshell” lurking in The Donald’s tax records and urged him to release his returns. (Yes, this is the same Mitt who resisted releasing his own tax docs back when he ran, but, whatevs). We’re sure Cruz, Rubio & Co. will bring this up tonight during CNN’s GOP presidential debate.
ISIS AND SOCIAL MEDIA
A league of their own: ISIS’ biggest single weapon might be social media, which it has used effectively to recruit fighters and inspire lone wolf attacks. So yesterday, the Obama administration decided two can play at this gime. It assembled a hi-tech dream team to spitball ways to battle the terrorists online. Execs from Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat took part. Apple was there too, which must have been a little uncomfortable considering its current battle with the government over unlocking iPhones.
SUPREME COURT
Checkmate?: Senate GOP says it won’t consider anyone President Obama nominates for the high court this year. Really, not anybody, the President asks? But what if it’s someone who’s a moderate Republican, an ex-federal judge and a Hispanic? Oh, and he also just happens to be the very popular governor of Nevada. A little bird told CNN yesterday that Gov. Brian Sandoval is indeed being looked at to fill the Supreme Court’s vacancy.
JESSICA CHAMBERS
A long time coming: One night in December 2014, 19-year-old Jessica Chambers left home to clean her car and never returned. She was burned to death, and for months a Mississippi town wondered what happened to her. Answers may finally be coming. This week, a 27-year-old man was charged in her death. It’s a capital murder charge, so the death penalty’s on the table. But no decision has been made on pursuing that yet.
IRAN ELECTIONS
About that deal … : So what does the average Iranian on the street think about the Iran nuke deal? The world will get a pretty good idea tomorrow, when elections will be held that essentially serve as a referendum on centrist President Hassan Rouhani and the deal that he signed with the West. Iran’s massive young population seems to support Rouhani, but a “Death to America” vibe still permeates some parts of Iranian politics, so not everybody’s on board.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
Quote of the day:
“Your trash is my money.”
NYC garbage truck driver Noel Molina, who earned $112,000 last year. Who’s up for a career change?
That’s billion with a B
Move over New York. Beijing is now the city with the most billionaires. Who do they think they are, a bunch of capitalists?
Today in facepalm
Hey young hockey players: Spitting in a ref’s face and then fighting him is probably the fastest way to get face down on the ice in cuffs. Just ask this guy.
Where’s the love?
We may like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch, but the clothing retailer gets no love from us. A&F bombed in a recent customer satisfaction survey.
We really like this
Ever felt weird “liking” a sad post on Facebook? Well those days are over. The Book of Face now lets you express more emotions when responding to posts.
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH
Here’s what’s happening today.
Bookmark this
1.4 million. That’s how many people just in the U.S. who’ve been scammed out of their life savings after falling for letters from a psychic named Maria Duval. Even though governments around the world have tried to stop the fraud, not a single one has been successful. Starting today, our friends at CNNMoney goes in search of Duval, the face behind one of the biggest cons in history.
AND FINALLY …
Puppy pounded
Cuteness alert! Watch a Russian man get viciously mauled by a pack of pug puppies.