Breaking the rules. Finding a route. Going to court. It’s Thursday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Campaign 2016
The hits just keep on coming for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Yesterday the State Department Inspector General hit her hard in the report on her email usage: Clinton broke the rules and failed to inform key State Department staff on her use of a private email server. And at the very least, Hillz should have surrendered all State Department emails before leaving office, the report says. Clinton’s surrogates were out screaming “move along, nothing to see here,” but Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are going to have a field day with this.
2. ISIS
ISIS is determined to get deeper into Europe, one way or the other. Sending terrorists through the migrant routes from Turkey to Greece is becoming too hard, so ISIS is now actively working to smuggle its folks into Europe via a Mediterranean Sea route that starts in the failed state of Libya, where ISIS has gained a toehold. A Libyan official told CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh that ISIS militants disguise themselves by traveling with families and without weapons.
3. Missing journalists
If you needed a reminder that some countries are just straight up dangerous for journalists, take a look at Colombia. Three journalists have vanished there in a few days, and government troops are scouring Colombia’s northern region trying to find them. Spanish journalist Salud Hernandez went missing while working on a story in the remote region known for heavy guerrilla presence and organized crime. Colombian TV network RCN sent two of its journalists to cover her disappearance, and they have gone missing as well.
4. South Carolina shooting
Death penalty. That’s what federal prosecutors want for the man accused of killing nine people at a church in South Carolina last year. Dylann Roof is charged with 33 federal offenses, including hate crimes. Authorities say the white teen targeted his victims on the basis of their race and religion when he attacked the African-American church in Charleston. The high school dropout had told investigators he wanted to start a race war.
5. Transgender lawsuits
Texas leads a pack of officials from 11 states suing the White House over its new transgender directive. The federal directive orders schools to allow transgender students to use the restroom of their choice. In addition to nine states, three school districts in Arizona and Texas and Maine’s governor are also listed as plaintiffs. The Lone Star state relishes its court battles with the Obama administration. It’s also awaiting a Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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It’s complicated
Amber Heard’s divorcing Johnny Depp. Sad, but hey, few marriages could survive the courtroom doggie drama the couple endured down in Australia.
Today in facepalm
Want to launch a nuke? Grab a floppy disk, because that’s what the Pentagon still uses to run the U.S. nuclear weapons program, says a new report.
Presidential pad
It ain’t the White House, but it’s still pretty nice. President Obama will lease this $5 million home in D.C. when he leaves office in January.
Screech’s in trouble (again)
“Saved by the Bell” actor Dustin Diamond has been arrested in Wisconsin, the latest legal tangle for the former child star.
Culinary crime
Who’s up for meth-stuffed burritos? Border agents nabbed a woman in Arizona this week trying to sneak in a pound of meth disguised as burritos.
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH
Here’s what’s coming up later
S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G
The finals of the National Spelling Bee start this morning. Think you can compete? Then let CNN’s anchors put you through their spelling test.