Facing the music. Dodging a bullet. Cueing the madness. It’s Wednesday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Oscar Pistorius
Six years. That’s the prison sentence Oscar Pistorius got this morning for killing his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day in 2013. The Olympic sprinter was originally convicted of manslaughter, but a South African court changed that to murder late last year. He won’t appeal, so this probably marks the end of a case that’s transfixed South Africa and the world.
2. Clinton email scandal
Talk about costly victories. FBI Director James Comey won’t recommend charges against Hillary Clinton for using private email servers when she was secretary of state. But Comey dismantled the defense Clinton’s been using for over a year in the matter, jabbed her in her political weak spot — trustworthiness and judgement — and practically cut an ad for Donald Trump. In delivering his news, Comey was brutal: Clinton did send and receive classified material on the servers, she and her staff were “extremely careless” and she should have known a private email system was no place to conduct sensitive government business. Boom. Clinton may be out of legal trouble, but politically she’s more exposed than ever.
3. Campaign 2016
Yesterday was the day the Dems had been waiting for: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama tag teaming it on the campaign trail. And it pretty much turned out the way the Team Clinton wanted, with the President firing up supporters in Charlotte, North Carolina. Not a word though about Clinton’s email woes or the verbal smackdown (see above) from James Comey. But Donald Trump couldn’t stop talking about Clinton and her email during his rally last night in Raleigh. Trump, gleefully tossing out his “Crooked Hillary” mantra, said the FBI’s decision proves “our system is totally rigged” and accused — without any proof — Clinton of bribing the U.S. attorney general to get a favorable outcome.
4. Tennessee Title IX lawsuit
The University of Tennessee’s doing a better job of teaching students about sexual assault prevention and responding to assault claims. That’s what a lawyer for students who sued the university said yesterday as a $2.48 million settlement was announced. Eight female students sued after reporting sexual or physical assault by student athletes and said Tennessee had a rape culture on campus. Tennessee denied this and didn’t admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, but it will hire six more people for Title IX (regulations that bar sex discrimination at universities that receive federal funds) compliance jobs.
5. Mega Millions
The Mega Millions jackpot has climbed to $508 million, so it’s officially time for America to go lottery crazy. It’s the seventh-largest jackpot of all time, so cue the long lines at gas stations and the slightly delusional guy or gal who thinks buying hundreds of tickets will help them beat the 1 in 259 million odds. If you’re depending on lottery winnings to fund your retirement and the kids’ college fund, you better get busy: the next drawing is Friday night.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
Get off my (digital) lawn
Sorry, teens: They chased you off Facebook and Instagram with their “old people” nonsense; now the adults are taking over Snapchat too.
No wonder she sounded so cold
Still using Ashley Madison’s website for cheaters? Just remember that sexy lady you’re chatting with is probably just a computer program.
Today in facepalm
PBS aired some old fireworks footage during Monday night’s “A Capitol Fourth” broadcast. Social media didn’t let that go unnoticed.
The boss says no
A petition’s popped up to kick Jesse Williams off “Grey’s Anatomy” after his fiery BET Awards speech. Not signing off on it: show creator Shonda Rhimes.
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH
Here’s what’s coming up later
Long time coming
The Chilcot Report, the long-awaited result of Britain’s inquiry into the Iraq War, will be released this morning.
NUMBER OF THE DAY
$1.28
It’s a new low for the pound, as the UK’s Brexit hangover drags on.
AND FINALLY …
Don’t try this at home
A science “experimenter” fills giant balloons with liquid nitrogen because, well, somebody obviously needs a hobby.