History in Cuba. Craziness in the campaign. And “spring” in the Northeast. It’s Monday, and here are the five things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
CUBA VISIT
¿Que bolá Cuba?’: Turns out the President is just like the rest of us. When Air Force One touched down yesterday in Havana, he did what we all do the first time we visit a new place — announce the arrival on social media. But this is a trip worth documenting: it’s the first visit by a sitting U.S. President to Cuba in nearly 90 years. Obama wants Cuba to give more freedom to its people and open up new opportunities for U.S. businesses. Obama and the first family played tourists yesterday — strolling through Old Havana and dining at a paladar — but today will be about business, including a meeting with Raul Castro.
TERROR ARREST
‘Ready to restart something’: Was terror suspect Salah Abdeslam planning to hit Brussels? That’s what Belgium’s foreign minister believes after a large cache of weapons was found after Abdeslam’s arrest on Friday. Authorities say they also discovered a “new network” around him in Brussels. Abdeslam is the only surviving suspect thought to have been directly involved in November’s terror attacks in Paris. He had been on the run ever since. The hunt now turns to the Paris network that aided Abdeslam, which is believed to be bigger than originally thought.
CAMPAIGN 2016
Campaign chaos: Punches. Marches. Blockades. Civil unrest in some foreign country? Nope, just another weekend on the campaign trial with The Donald. Protesters blocked a road outside a Trump rally in Arizona and marched against him in NYC. A protester was sucker-punched (again) while being led out of a rally, the same rally where Trump’s campaign manager appeared to manhandle another protester. Whew. Will it get that lively when Trump speaks at a major pro-Israel conference today? Probably not, but some rabbis are reportedly prepping a silent protest. No wonder the #NeverTrump crowd is so antsy. BTW Trump picked up the endorsement of Scott Baio over the weekend, so we guess that means “Chachi loves Trump.” And if that’s not enough of The Donald, you can see him and the four remaining prez candidates tonight at 8 p.m. on CNN.
APPLE
iShrink: Remember when an Apple product launch was Earth-shattering news? It’s like the whole world stopped to get a glimpse of the shiny, new iWhatever Apple was unveiling. Well today is going to be the opposite of that, as Apple is ditching the glitz and glamour of previous events to roll out its new, smaller iPhone SE. A smaller iPad Pro might be revealed too. Guess smaller products means less hype.
WEATHER
Springpocalypse: Ah, spring in the Northeast: Inches and inches of snow, closed schools and messy commutes. Folks in Boston may get the worst of this spring snowstorm today, with up to eight inches of snow shutting down schools and creating a potentially hazardous commute. New York and Philly will also see snow. But don’t despair Northerners, because spring really is coming. Temps will be in the 50s and 60s by Wednesday.
