September 21 is International Day of Peace. Maybe one day, we’ll all observe it. Here’s what you need to know today to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Charlotte protests
Protesters blocked an interstate, set fire to it and threw rocks at officers in Charlotte last night after cops killed a black man at an apartment complex. They were there to serve a warrant on someone else, but ended up shooting Keith Lamont Scott. Police say Scott was armed; his family says he was carrying a book. Meanwhile, Tulsa’s still tense over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man last week. Here’s five discrepancies being debated in that case.
2. New York-New Jersey bombings
Here’s the latest on the investigation: The potency of the Chelsea bombs may point to terror training.The bomb was packed with ball bearings and steel nuts and the blast shattered windows 400 feet away. We also learned that suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami’s father called the FBI two years ago and allegedly told them his son was a terrorist. (He later recanted).
3. Syria civil war
It’s happened again. Four medical workers were killed in an airstrike last night. This, while U.S. and Russia are still bickering over who’s responsible for bombing an aid convoy and a warehouse Monday. The US says Russian warplanes; the Russians say militants. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has just one word to describe whoever did it: “cowards.”
4. Campaign 2016
Tuesday was all Trump, all the Time. A Washington Post report said he used his family charity to settle lawsuits against opponents … and hours later, he bragged about using “other people’s money.” He repeated the lie he was against the Iraq war from the start … but stayed totally mum on his shift on the “birther” issue. He learned George H.W. Bush will be voting for Hillary Clinton … but got some good news: he’s tied with Clinton in NC.
5. Wells Fargo
Sen. Elizabeth Warren — the force behind the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — ripped into Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf during a hearing over the millions of fake accounts the bank created. The phony accounts earned the bank unwarranted fees and helped bank employees make more money. Warren called Stumpf “gutless,” and said he should be criminally investigated. Stumpf, who seemed caught off guard, could barely get a word in edgewise.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Quote of the day
“Skittles are candy; refugees are people.”
The response from Mars Inc., the maker of Skittles, to Donald Trump Jr.’s controversial tweet that compared Syrian refugees to poisoned candy.
Bye, Brangelina
That disturbance in the force you felt yesterday wasn’t that quake in L.A., it was the end of one of Hollywood’s power couples: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
Centenarian club
Want to live to be 100? You may want to move to Acciaroli, Italy, where one in 10 residents is a centenarian.
30-year-old virgins
Millennials in Japan aren’t in any hurry to do it. A government survey says almost half of all Japanese singles between 18 to 34 are virgins.
Best fur friend
Charlie, a black lab with brain cancer, lived just long enough to see his owner get married in Colorado.
Wave detector
Got a great poker face? It may not stand a chance against radio waves, which smart folks at MIT say they can use to tell if someone is happy, sad or angry.
Number of the day
218 million
The number of Americans whose tap water contains dangerous levels of chromium-6. That’s the carcinogenic chemical featured in “Erin Brockovich.”
And finally …
Drill, baby, drill
Upset that the iPhone 7 doesn’t have a headphone jack? No worries; just grab a drill and make one yourself. Pretty sure this voids the warranty, though.
