A stunning letter. A loaded allegation. A shocking death. It’s Tuesday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Donald Trump
There are smackdowns and then there are smackdowns. When 50 foreign policy and national security bigwigs from your own party sign a letter denouncing your candidacy, and basically say you’re too reckless to be president — that’s a smackdown. Donald Trump was, well, Trump-like in his response, saying, hey, the world’s on fire and these 50 people helped light the match, so don’t listen to them. All this on the day Trump tried to turn the page on a hellish couple of weeks by laying out his new economic plan.
2. Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton may be riding high in the polls right now, but she’s still taking her share of hits — and of course it involves her email. Her critics, including Donald Trump, slammed her yesterday because a nuclear scientist executed by Iran (he was accused of spying for the US) was mentioned in emails she received on her personal email server. Clinton and the State Department deny any connection between the emails and the execution. And if it’s not emails, it’s Benghazi. Yesterday, the parents of two Americans killed there sued Clinton.
3. Hunger strike
She hasn’t eaten in nearly 16 years, protesting the killing of civilians allegedly killed by Indian soldiers and sweeping powers given to the military. But human rights activist Irom Sharmila — the Iron lady of Manipur — is ending her hunger strike today, because she feels protesting against the military that way wasn’t working. She’d been kept alive all these years by a drip force-fed through her nose.
4. Amusement ride mishaps
Three girls were hurt yesterday after they fell from a Ferris wheel at a county fair in Tennessee. A basket overturned, dropping the girls 35 to 45 feet. Witnesses say it was like watching “water pouring from a glass.” Over the weekend, a 10-year-old boy was killed while riding on the world’s tallest water slide in Kansas. The Verruckt, at 17 stories high, is higher than the Niagara Falls, and Caleb Thomas Schwab died from a neck injury. More than 4,000 kids are hurt each year on amusement park rides.
5. Olympics
It ain’t bragging if you can back it up. And, boy, did Lilly King ever back it up. Ticked off by Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova who waved No. 1 around after winning a semi (despite the doping allegations swirling around her), King promised to “swim my heart out for USA.” She bagged the gold; Efimova was left in tears. Here’s Monday’s roundup. And here are 5 things to watch for today.
Also, just because you don’t have half a mine’s worth of precious metal around your neck doesn’t mean you aren’t an athlete. In fact, you kind of deserve a medal for just showing up to work every day. Here’s why.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
Dropping the mic
Rapper Bow Wow, once known as Lil’ Bow Wow, announces his retirement, and the Internet laughs and asks, “didn’t we fire you years ago?”
Help wanted
Attention all comics (or wannabe comics): “Saturday Night Live” has two spots open, now that Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah are leaving the cast.
Come together
The Olympics worked its magic — if only for a minute — on nations’ strained relations when gymnasts from North and South Korea took a selfie together.
Heart warming
A bride asks the man who got her murdered father’s donated heart to walk her down the aisle. Go ahead and cry … cause we are.
Love never dies
They were married for 63 years, so it’s almost fitting that a South Dakota couple would die just minutes apart in the same room.
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH
Here’s what’s coming up later
Paul vs. Paul
House Speaker Paul Ryan faces off against businessman Paul Nehlen in the GOP primary in Wisconsin today.
AND FINALLY …
Spectator sport
Yeah, the Olympics are tough on the athletes, but that’s nothing compared to what the parents go through. Just watch gymnast Aly Raisman’s parents.