Dealing with the attack. Planning for the divorce. Dressing down the plan. It’s Wednesday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Turkey terror attack
Flights are up and running this morning, but the shock and horror remain after terrorists killed at least 36 people at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. Passengers checked in while workers cleaned up the shattered glass and blood left after last night’s attack. Three suicide bombers —- two at the international terminal and one in a parking lot — hit the airport, and all clues so far point to an ISIS connection. Witnesses accounts and security camera video show a scene “like hell”: terrified passengers, running for their lives, hiding anywhere they can as the terrorists fired shots and set off their bombs.
2. Brexit
There’s amicable divorces, and then there’s Brexit. Folks, this one’s going to be ugly. Britain wants to change its relationship status with the EU to “it’s complicated” while the two negotiate terms. Then the Brits will leave. The EU says, no, change your status to “single,” leave and then we’ll negotiate. And what’s a divorce without insults and name calling? We got that yesterday when prominent Leave supporter Nigel Farage taunted the EU Parliament to its face, saying none of them had ever held a real job in their lives. He was vigorously booed. Today all of the leaders of EU nations meet in Brussels –without the UK’s David Cameron — to hash out what to do next.
3. Campaign 2016
Big Business isn’t impressed with Trump 2.0. The new-look Donald Trump gave an economic speech in Pennsylvania yesterday, where he slammed free-trade deals and vowed to end them. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers — two traditional allies of GOP candidates — hammered Trump’s ideas. Both sent tweets during Trump’s speech arguing that his plan would cost millions of jobs and throw the country into another recession. This party reunification thing is going just swimmingly, isn’t it?
4. Cuban migrants
A lighthouse isn’t dry land. That’s what a federal judge told a group of Cuban migrants yesterday in a ruling dealing with the “wet foot, dry foot” policy, which gives Cubans who set foot on U.S. soil a chance to stay. The 24 migrants climbed a 136-year-old lighthouse just south of the Florida Keys last month in a bid to stay here. The judge said, nope, the lighthouse — which even in low tide sits in four feet of water — isn’t dry land, thus the Cubans are “wet foot” migrants, so they’ll be sent back.
5. Water
Toxic water isn’t just a problem in Flint. It’s an issue in 5,300 water systems in the country that are in violation of the EPA’s lead and copper rule. That’s 18 million people. But that’s not the most shocking thing. This is: neither the EPA nor state governments are doing a whole lot to fix things. There’s also evidence that lots of utilities in compliance with EPA rules are just gaming the system. That’s according to a new report and info given to CNN. The EPA’s response to all this? We’re working on it.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Golden girl
Caitlyn Jenner, sporting a gold medal, is on the cover of Sports Illustrated, just like Bruce Jenner was after winning gold in the ’76 Olympic Games.
House hunters, helicopter edition
Buying a home in one of Hong Kong’s priciest neighborhoods? Don’t drive up with a realtor; when you can fly in on a copter.
Breathing canvas
Art takes on a life all its own when an artist applies paint on the faces and bodies of real, live humans.
Rich get richer
Move over North American millionaires. The Asians are taking over the “wealthiest in the world club,” thanks to a 9.9% jump in their riches.
Just thought you should know
Remember when Facebook changes would spark calls for revolution? Yeah, that’s so 2008. Anyway, FB made a subtle change to one of the Like buttons.
Number of the day
71%
The percentage of Americans who believe the economy is “rigged,” according to a new poll from Marketplace and Edison Research.