Happy Tuesday from ‘5 Things’ where the number of days we’ve gone without a typo is 0. (We misspelled ‘Israel.’ Doh!) Here’s what you need to know today to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Mideast peace plan
Secretary of State John Kerry will outline the Obama administration’s vision for peace in the Middle East with a speech this week. Wait, what? Isn’t “vision-setting” speeches reserved for folks who have more than a couple of weeks left in power? One Mideast partner who won’t be listening is Israel, which is still miffed about the US abstaining on that UN resolution. Israel’s also limiting working ties with countries that voted ‘yes’ on the resolution, i.e. nations that said it’s illegal for Israel to keep building settlements in the West Bank.
2. Pearl Harbor
Today, in Honolulu, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Obama will visit Pearl Harbor, 75 years after the surprise attack that dragged the US into World War II. The joint visit is meant to show the power of reconciliation: from adversaries to the closest of allies. Abe’s visit is a return gesture for Obama’s trip to Hiroshima — the first by a sitting US president to the site where America dropped a nuclear bomb in 1945.
3. ‘Ghost Ship’ fire
The parents of two Oakland fire victims have filed a lawsuit where they claim that a slew of people knew the Ghost Ship warehouse posed a danger but didn’t do anything about it. The suit blames the building’s owner, government officials and even the Oakland Fire Department, which held an event there and has a station just a block away. The blaze killed 36 people earlier this month.
4. Mall fights
Note to Americans: The day after Christmas is Boxing Day, but not the bash-each-others’-brains-out kind of boxing. Clearly, some of you didn’t get the memo because fights broke out in at least six malls nationwide. The biggest seemed to be in Aurora, Colorado, where 500 people duked it out in the food court, parking lots and a movie theater. So much for goodwill toward men!
5. Stories you probably missed
The elections. Celebrity deaths. Brexit. You read all about them this year, but there were a ton of other major stories that may have slipped under your radar. Like, the massacre in Myanmar, or the Butcher of Bosnia’s conviction. CNN’s Thom Patterson has a breakdown.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Bag check
Someone tried to take this gas mask, decorated with bullets, on a plane. And that’s not even the craziest thing people tried to sneak past security this year.
White Christmas?
A college professor’s in hot water after tweeting he wanted “white genocide” for Christmas. Yikes!
Tip of a lifetime
Nothing says “happy holidays” like a $900 tip. A pregnant restaurant server in Arizona got just that from a kind-hearted customer.
Song of hope
Reddit gets a bad rap sometimes, but it really came through for a grieving mom who needed help getting a video enhanced of her late son singing.
Ice road
When the family’s trip to the Grand Canyon ended up in a snowy ditch, a mom knew just what to do — walk 26 freezing miles in 30 hours to get help.
AND FINALLY …
Pump up the jamz
Want to hear the year’s biggest songs, but only have three minutes? You’re in luck. (Click to view)