Picking a pal. Confirming a kill. Hiding a hack. 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 wait is almost over. After last-minute tryouts, breakfast meetings and seemingly endless phone calls, Donald Trump will announce his veep pick tomorrow. There was a lot of intense wooing going on yesterday, with a near-parade of VP hopefuls meeting with Trump in Indiana. No, it wasn’t just like “The Bachelor,” but something pretty close to it. So who will get the rose? The favorite seems to be Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. That’s why Trump was in Indiana after all. Pence even had breakfast with Trump’s family. But Newt Gingrich and Chris Christie are still in the mix, and this is Trump we’re talking about, so a surprise is always possible.
2. ISIS
OK, bear with us as we try to keep this straight: The U.S. military’s trying to confirm that high-ranking ISIS bigwig Omar al-Shishani was killed in an airstrike in Iraq a couple of days ago. But didn’t they say back in March that they’d killed him in Syria? Officials say, yeah, looks like we only wounded him back then. But they’re pretty sure they got him this time, especially since ISIS supporters are memorializing al-Shishani on social media.
3. Phoenix serial killer
He drives around a low-income neighborhood in Phoenix at night, searching for victims. When he finds them, he gets out of his vehicle, pulls out his semi-automatic handgun and fires. Police say that’s the method of the so-called “serial street shooter” who’s killed seven people and wounded two others. The killings started in March and the last one was a month ago. Police have put out a sketch and $30,000 reward in a bid to nab him.
4. FDIC hacked
The Chinese hacked into the nation’s banking regulator for three years and government bureaucrats lied about it. That’s what’s alleged in a new congressional report from the House’s Science, Space and Technology Committee. China got into FDIC computers from 2010 until 2013. When investigators started asking about it, FDIC lawyers told employees to not talk about it via email so the emails wouldn’t become official government records. The FDIC admits it didn’t “accurately portray the extent of risk.” The FDIC’s chairman is being hauled before a congressional committee today to explain.
5. Synthetic marijuana
Thirty-three people collapsing on the sidewalk near the same New York street during an 11-hour stretch. No, it wasn’t a “Law & Order” rerun, it’s what happened Tuesday around Stockton Street in Brooklyn. Passersby called 911 as people, suffering from respiratory issues and possible altered mental states, fell to the ground. Authorities suspect all of the victims overdosed on K2, a kind of synthetic marijuana. By yesterday, almost half of the victims were out of the hospital.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Pokemon Go NSFW
It was bound to happen: Folks have taken kid-friendly Pokemon Go and tweaked it with nudity, sex and other things not suitable for the workplace.
One for the road
A Nebraska man didn’t despair when his dog, Bella, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He packed up his SUV and took her on one last, epic road trip.
Tower tango
Who needs a concert stage when the side of a skyscraper will do? Check out BANDALOOP, the California dance company that laughs at gravity.
Sheep view
The remote Faroe Islands haven’t been visited by Google Street view yet, so residents strapped 360-degree cameras on sheep instead and let ’em loose.
And the winner is …
Emmy nominations will be announced this morning. Predictions are all over the place, but USA’s critically loved drama “Mr. Robot” seems like a good bet.
AND FINALLY …
No laughing matter
NBA superstars, including reigning champ LeBron James, called for action to end gun violence and racial injustice during last night’s ESPY Awards.
