Hillary makes history. A killer gets his comeuppance. A sentence stirs anger. It’s Tuesday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Campaign 2016
Hillary Clinton is the first woman in America’s 240-year history to lead the presidential ticket of a major party. Thanks to a super delegate late surge, she clinched the Democratic nom last night. Bernie Sanders, though, isn’t backing down. His camp says some super D’s can still change their minds. Which brings us to today’s California primaries. Team Hillary’s worried supporters won’t vote because they think this thing is over, putting her at risk of losing the state. Not a good look headed into the general against Donald Trump.
2. Turkey bombing
Turkey’s feeling the pain of yet another bombing attack this morning. This time, a car bomb blew up a police bus in Istanbul’s historic center during rush hour. At least 11 people, including seven police officers, were killed. No one’s claimed responsibility yet. But ISIS and Kurdish militants have both hit Turkey with attacks this year. So that’s as good a place as any to start.
3. Grim Sleeper
They convicted him of killing nine women and a 15-year-old girl over a two-decade period. Now the same jury wants to send Lonnie David Franklin Jr. into permanent sleep for that. Yesterday, the jury recommended death for the “Grim Sleeper,” so dubbed because of a 13-year gap between the slayings. A judge will decide Franklin’s fate in August.
4. Stanford rape case
There’s a reason Brock Turner’s sentence has stirred such outrage. The ex-Stanford swimmer sexually assaulted an unconscious woman. And instead of the six years prosecutors asked for, the judge gave him six months. However outrageous it may seem, the sentence follows California law, which gives judges wide discretion. The victim read a searing letter that’s been widely shared. Turner’s dad wrote a letter too, in which he lamented the sentence was “a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action.” Yes, really.
5. Harambe investigation
It seems like the Cincinnati Zoo controversy has turned a corner: Prosecutors won’t charge the mom of the 3-year-old who fell into the zoo’s gorilla exhibit. Zookeepers had to kill the gorilla to rescue him. Today, the exhibit reopens, with enhanced safety features like a public barrier raised to 42 inches, solid wood beams on top and knotted rope netting on the bottom to keep the little ones — or anybody else for that matter — out.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
Circle of (non)friends
No, it’s not your imagination. A new study confirms what we already knew: Our number of friends does get smaller once we hit our mid-20s.
Farewell, old friend
Bretagne, the last known surviving 9/11 search and rescue dog, got a hero’s goodbye yesterday. She was 16.
Fish face
If your pet fish is staring at you intently through the aquarium glass, it’s not just because it’s hungry. It probably recognizes your face.
All’s fair in love and war
Mad at your ex? Keying up their car is so old school. Try spoiling their favorite movie or TV show. That’s the new way to wage war on old flames.
Fat is phat
Yeah! We can eat all of the fattening things we want! No, not really, but a new study says we shouldn’t be afraid of fat in food — if it comes from olive oil.
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH
Here’s what’s coming up later
The other football
If you only watch international soccer when the U.S. plays, today’s your day: the U.S. takes on Costa Rica tonight in Copa America action.
Number of the day
$15 million
The amount of medical debt John Oliver forgave on his show, almost doubling the value of Oprah’s famous “everybody gets a car” giveaway.
