Death in the park. Suspects on the run. New York on the mind. It’s Monday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
PAKISTAN EXPLOSION
No holiday: Easter Sunday in the park would seem to be a safe place to be. Not in Pakistan yesterday. Terrorists from a Pakistani Taliban splinter group shattered a day in the park in Lahore with a suicide blast that killed at least 69 people, many of them women and children. The terrorists said they were targeting Christians and promised more attacks.
EUROPE ATTACKS
Eight is enough: Security agencies in Europe are frantically searching for at least eight suspects tied to the ISIS attacks in Paris and Brussels. All but one of the suspects are connected to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the leader of the Paris attacks, or Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving Paris attacker who was arrested in Belgium. Meanwhile, anti-immigrant protesters stormed into a memorial in Brussels with Nazi-like salutes, and a man nabbed in the Netherlands is reportedly linked to a foiled terror plot suspect in France.
CAMPAIGN 2016
Empire state of mind: After his wonderful weekend out west, Bernie Sanders seeks to keep his momentum going as the schedule of contests heads east. April 19 is a biggie: Hillary Clinton’s home state of New York. Bernie seeks an Empire State debate, but it’s unclear if Hillz will go for it. Meanwhile, the top two GOP contenders continue to fight over their wives. Yesterday, Donald Trump slammed Ted Cruz over a super PAC’s use of a provocative photo of his wife. You may remember that The Donald responded by retweeting an unflattering photo of Heidi Cruz, causing Ted to call him a “sniveling coward.”
SYRIA CIVIL WAR
Don’t you come back no more: Who’s up for some good news on the terrorism front? ISIS has been driven out of Palmyra, thanks to Syrian forces and government-friendly militias. ISIS demolished numerous historical sites when it took over the area in May. Now archaeologists and others can start to assess the extent of the damage. The retaking of Palmyra falls in line with a developing narrative that ISIS is in retreat, with the terror group losing more than a third of its territory in Iraq and Syria.
SOUTH CHINA SEA CONTROVERSY
Water wars: The battle for the South China Sea just gained a new combatant. Taiwan has entered the fray, saying its six-decade occupation of tiny Taiping Island means it controls the waters surrounding it. That’ll probably be news to all the other countries laying claim to all (China) or parts (Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei) of those contested waters. China’s making everyone nervous by building a bunch of man-made islands in the area, and its navy and the U.S. have already shadowboxed over the issue.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Quote of the day:
“When it came time … the parents just bum-rushed that area”
West Haven, Connecticut, resident Nicole Welch, following an Easter egg hunt that was canceled after parents stormed the field.
Got my mind set on you
Hate him or love him, there’s something about The Donald — his face, his voice, his message — that lights your brain up like a Christmas tree.
Wolverine’s weekend
He didn’t break out the razor-sharp claws, but Hugh Jackman was a hero just the same Saturday when he rescued some swimmers, including his own son.
Domo arigato Misuta Roboto
If you’re worried about the robots rising up, don’t worry about it ’cause you’re too late. They’ve already taken over, at least in the travel industry.
Rock ‘n’ roll ain’t noise pollution
Local English kids with a band and a dream run afoul of The Man’s anti-noise ordinance. So they call in the big guns and ask the Foo Fighters for help.
Toxic chocolate?
A new survey warns that some chocolate contains elevated levels of lead. Yeah, like we’re going to let a little lead get between us and a chocolate fix.
AND FINALLY …
Bernie and the bird
We don’t normally put politics here, but you can’t help but smile at Uncle Bernie’s reaction to a bird that landed on his podium during a speech in Oregon.