Good Thursday morning. Still, 11 days to go until the election. (But hey, just 1 more until the weekend!) Here’s what you need to know today to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Italy earthquakes
Central Italy was rocked by earthquakes again. This time, the ground shook about 50 miles north of where the devastating quakes hit in August. There are no reports of injuries yet, but in one town a 15th century church is gone. The first quake severely damaged the structure. The second one finished it off.
2. Migrant crisis
Fewer people have attempted the perilous trip across the Mediterranean to Europe this year. And yet, it’s been the deadliest year ever for migrants – 3,800 deaths. That’s 13 a day. Blame it on more crowded boats, unscrupulous smugglers and bad weather. Here’s a startling big picture look at the crisis.
3. Oklahoma fugitive
Four days and still no sign of Michael Vance. He’s accused of killing two relatives and shooting two police officers. And he bragged about it all on Facebook. Vance is also facing child sex charges and has threatened to spread a communicable disease if cornered. So, yeah, a bad dude, cops say.
4. Enlistment bonuses
California National Guard members won’t have to pay back enlistment bonuses — for now. That’s some relief for outraged vets and their families who were ordered to give back the bonuses — some as large as $15,000 — they got for re-enlisting during the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
5. ISIS
The drive to stomp out ISIS is going beyond Mosul. The US and its allies are “weeks” away from attacking the big prize: ISIS’ defacto capital of Raqqa, Syria. The Defense Dept. says ISIS is planning a big terror attack somewhere in the world from inside the city.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
WTH?
Ok, this is just scary: Two-thirds of the world’s wildlife could be gone by the end of this decade, WWF reports. That’s just FOUR YEARS from now!
Bright as the sun
Mosques and churches in Kenya are suddenly turning a loud yellow.
Party hardy
If Hillary Clinton wins the presidency, she’ll break the ultimate glass ceiling, so of course she’s holding her election night party under a real one.
NSFW obviously
Pussy Riot’s been a thorn in Vladimir Putin’s side for years. Their new song is a not-so-veiled-barb at The Donald.
Unselfie-ish act
Kenny Lofton almost missed his chance to throw out the first pitch at the World Series, until a fan gave up his seat on the plane — for a selfie.
AND FINALLY …
Wanna play a game?
Don’t like your co-workers? Dealing with them is probably still better than working with Jigsaw from the “Saw” movies.
