The NFL. The TSA. SCOTUS. It’s alphabet soup Tuesday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. TSA
The long lines at the airport aren’t gone but guess who is? The head of security for the TSA. The House Oversight Committee, which has been holding hearing on TSA operations, gave Kelly Hoggan the boot last night. The committee wanted to know why Hoggan got a $90,000 bonus when security line wait times were increasing. No one’s said a word though on how getting rid of Hoggan will get you through airport security faster.
2. Obama in Asia
President Obama wants a bridge over troubled waters, namely the troubled waters of the South China Sea. In a speech this morning in Hanoi, Vietnam, he called for a “peaceful resolution” to the hubbub there. “Big nations should not bully smaller ones,” he said. He didn’t mention China by name, but come on. He also talked up the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade deal that no one running for president this year seems to like.
3. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has ruled that yes, prosecutors in Georgia *were* motivated by race when they blocked every potential black juror in Timothy Tyrone Foster’s death penalty trial. Foster, a black inmate, was convicted by an all-white jury for the murder of an elderly white woman. The decision is a big deal because other inmates claiming similar discrimination can now seek new trials. The Supremes voted 7-1. The one dissenter? Clarence Thomas.
4. NFL
A congressional report accuses the NFL of trying to throw its weight around to influence a study by the National Institutes of Health on the link between football and brain injuries. The report says the NFL didn’t like the doctor selected for the study, badmouthed him in emails and then pulled its $16 million contribution when NIH refused to get rid of him. The NFL cried ‘who us?’ The study begins next week, now funded by Joe Taxpayer.
5. Greyhound
Stop every 150 miles. Get out and walk around. Check the tires and stretch. Sounds like good advice for any driver, but especially if you’re Greyhound bus driver. And yet, a CNN investigation found America’s largest bus company doesn’t enforce its rule regarding driving fatigue, treating it more as a guideline. That’s troubling because driver fatigue is a pretty common cause of bus crashes.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Quote of the day:
“When you go to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line?”
Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald, who compared a visit to the VA to Disneyland. Yes, really.
Flip it and reverse it
Is the Razr about to make a comeback? A Motorola commercial hints at it, so you better practice your old-school texting skills.
A closer look
Mars is going to look a lot bigger in the sky next week, as the red planet will be the closest it’s been to Earth in about a decade. No need for a telescope.
The streaker
A hotel guest walked the streets of Manchester, England, totally nude over the weekend. Just another case of good old fashioned sleepwalking.
Who wood’a thought?
Scientists at the University of Maryland are working on “invisible” wood that’ll be stronger than steel and biodegradable to boot. Genius!
The golden minute
Wait, one minute of vigorous exercise can equal 45 minutes of moderate exercise? Sign us up.
Number of the day
$13 million
The amount stolen from a South African bank by a group of thieves working in Japan. They used 1,600 fake credit cards — and just two hours — to grab the cash.
AND FINALLY …
Play with me!
Dottie the Dalmation wants to have some fun and play, but Jack the cat is not having it.