Midwest violence. Southern flooding. South American games. It’s Monday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Milwaukee protests
Violent protests raged for a second night in Milwaukee, after an armed African-American man was killed by police over the weekend. Last night protesters fired shots and threw objects. One person was shot and hospitalized; a police officer was also injured when a rock broke the windshield of a squad car. Sylville Smith was killed Saturday, triggering hours of unrest that included the torching of six businesses.
2. Louisiana flooding
It was a weekend of wet misery in Louisiana — five dead and more than 7,000 rescued from their homes in massive flooding in the state. Tens of thousands have been evacuated. It’s not going to get any better today because swollen rivers are still on the rise. The governor’s deployed the National Guard; President Obama’s issued a declaration of emergency. More than 24 inches of rain have fallen in Livingston, just outside of Baton Rouge, since Wednesday. If that sounds like something that almost never happens, you’re right. The National Weather service says the chances of such flooding is around 1%.
3. Campaign 2016
While Donald Trump tells anyone within earshot that he’ll kick the crap out of ISIS, he never talks about the details, saying he doesn’t want the enemy to know what the plans are. Well that may change today in Ohio, where Trump is set to talk about defeating the terror group and his vision for dealing with the Middle East, which apparently does not include spreading democracy or nation-building. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton’s email woes keep chugging along. Notes from her interview with the FBI over her private email server will be given to Congress, perhaps as early as today.
4. Missing Nigerian schoolgirls
Overjoyed. Not the reaction you’d expect from a new video released by terrorists of a group of kidnapped schoolgirls, but that’s how one father felt after seeing his daughter in the video and knowing she’s still alive. The video of some of the missing Chibok girls was released yesterday by Boko Haram. The 11-minute-long clip features a masked militant holding a rifle and speaking in front of about 50 girls. The terrorists demand Nigeria release jailed Boko Haram fighters; the government said it’s working for the release of the girls, who were kidnapped more than two years ago.
5. Olympics
It was a mixture of good and bad yesterday in Rio. The good: Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s third straight triumph in the 100-meter finals. US gymnast Simone Biles winning her third gold of these Games on the vault. The bad: Four US swimmers, including medalist Ryan Loch, were robbed at gunpoint after being stopped by bandits dressed as police as they made their way back to the Olympic village. Here’s what else you missed yesterday, and what’s going on today, Day 10 of the Rio Games.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Quote of the day
“I know I’m not Beyoncé, I can’t dance or anything like that”
Pop superstar Adele, saying that she turned down the NFL’s invitation to perform at next year’s Super Bowl
Winning the silver and the diamond
A Chinese diver got a silver medal and an engagement ring, when her boyfriend proposed to her at the podium yesterday in Rio.
RIP, R2-D2
British actor Kenny Baker — the 3-foot, 8-inch tall actor inside R2-D2 in the “Star Wars” movies — died over the weekend. He was 81.
A bet’s a bet
The BBC’s Gary Lineker appeared on air in just his undies over the weekend, which he promised to do if Leicester City won the Premier League. (They did)
No thanks, Mr. Prez
Not even a personal invitation from President Obama could get just-retired NBA star Tim Duncan down to Rio to watch the 2016 Summer Games.
Wage wars
Run a small business? Want to make sure minimum wage hike legislation dies a quick death in your city or state? There’s an app for that.
AND FINALLY …
Golden grands
What’s better than winning a gold medal at the Olympics? Winning it and making your grandparents proud, like Aussie swimmer Kyle Chalmers did.