An extreme plan. A large transfer. A big loss. It’s Tuesday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Campaign 2016
America got the more subdued, teleprompter version of Donald Trump yesterday, as he laid out his plans for fighting ISIS and terrorism. Trump demanded tough values tests and “extreme” vetting of would-be immigrants. He also slammed Hillary Clinton and President Obama, saying the rise of ISIS and the recent spate of terror attacks were a direct result of their policy decisions.
2. Guantanamo Bay
One of President Obama’s big promises during his 2008 run was to clear out Gitmo. That’s not going to happen, but the detention facility down in Cuba is a lot less crowded these days. Yesterday it was announced that 15 detainees have been transferred out and will be sent to the UAE. That’s the single-largest transfer since Obama took office. And it drops Gitmo’s prisoner population down to 61. There were 242 when Obama came into office back in 2009.
3. Pennsylvania attorney general
Kathleen Kane’s facing new calls to resign, after the Pennsylvania attorney general was found guilty yesterday of perjury and obstruction. She was convicted of leaking confidential info about grand jury deliberations to the media, and then trying to cover it up, in an effort to hurt her predecessor. Her legal team says she’ll fight on; prosecutors say they may recommend prison time.
4. Obamacare
The hits just keep coming for President Obama’s signature health reform program. The latest: Aetna is pulling out of Obamacare exchanges in 11 of the 15 states where it operates. This comes after Aetna said it was halting its planned expansion on the exchanges next year and rethinking its participation in Obamacare in general. Aetna’s lost a boatload of money — $430 million — since the exchanges opened in January 2014. Other insurers have lost a lot too because they say Obamacare users are far sicker than anticipated.
5. Olympics
There’s nothing like an Olympic race ending with a photo finish, but that’s exactly what we got yesterday in the women’s 400 meters, as Bahamian Shaunae Miller dove across the finish line just ahead of American Allyson Felix to win the gold. Yesterday’s big shocker: super gymnast Simone Biles slipped on the balance beam and lost her shot at becoming the first female gymnast to win five golds at a single Games in more than a century. Sanne Wevers of the Netherlands took the gold, but Biles still earned a silver. Today, Day 11 of the Games, Biles will shoot for another gold in the individual floor exercise, while Usain Bolt will be back on the track in the 200-meter heats. Check out the rest of yesterday’s action here.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Hey ya’ll
Charleston, South Carolina, the city where the Civil War started, is now the friendliest city in the world, according to Conde Nast Traveler.
Good night
Comedy Central pulled the plug on Larry Wilmore and his “Nightly Show.” Guess his awful White House Correspondents gala appearance didn’t help.
I quit
When the Biebs is ticked off, the Biebs doesn’t play around. Justin Bieber quit Instagram yesterday, after a pic there with a new girlfriend spurred online hate.
Fair food
You don’t need to go to the county or state fair to indulge in the awesomeness found in deep-fried Twinkies. Now you can pick ’em up at WalMart.
Number of the day
$1.8 million
The asking price an Asian auction house seeks for a Tyrannosaurus rex skull
AND FINALLY …
Road trip
Somebody built a track, strapped a GoPro camera on a Hot Wheels car and let it loose in this strangely captivating video.