Here’s what you need to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Trump administration
High-level advisers close to then-presidential nominee Donald Trump were in constant communication during the campaign with Russians known to US intelligence, multiple current and former intelligence, law enforcement and administration officials tell CNN.
President-elect Trump and then-President Barack Obama were both briefed on details of the extensive communications between suspected Russian operatives and people associated with the Trump campaign and the Trump business, according to US officials familiar with the matter.
2. Kim Jong Un
The North Korean leader’s half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, died Monday after being poisoned at a Malaysian airport. Two Asian women are suspected in his murder; one woman was arrested at the airport. The leader and his late brother shared a father, though the brother fell out of favor after he reportedly used forged papers to try to visit Tokyo Disneyland. Kim Jong Nam’s death is fairly sensitive subject matter and isn’t being widely publicized in North Korea. That’s a far different story than the high-profile death of another close relative of Kim Jong Un: the execution in 2013 of the leader’s uncle was hyped by state news.
3. Netanyahu
President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to meet today in Washington. There is plenty of opportunity for tension — Netanyahu and Obama weren’t exactly best friends, and negotiating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no easy task. However, the leaders have expressed support for one another and they agree, at least for now, on some key issues in the Middle East. The visit is predicted to be a friendly one.
4. Russia
Moscow deployed a cruise missile on Tuesday, which is an apparent violation of a 1987 nuclear forces treaty. The move is a challenging provocation for Trump, who has clearly pushed for a better relationship with the Russians. Other recent shady dealings, like the positioning of a Russian spy ship off the coast of Delaware and a tangle with a US Navy warship in the Black Sea, are not necessarily unprecedented but may muddle already-complicated US-Russia relations.
5. Chicago gun violence
A toddler and a 26-year-old man riding in a car were shot and killed in Chicago on Tuesday. It was the second deadly incident involving a child in the city in the past few days. Over the weekend, two young girls were shot on the South Side in separate incidents. One of the girls died Tuesday. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday’s shooting should be a “turning point” in the city’s long battle with gun violence.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Rumor the German shepherd wins Best in Show at Westminster
She is a very good girl, yes she is.
Kate Upton lands 2017 ‘Sports Illustrated’ swimsuit issue cover
New American Girl doll is a boy
And he looks like he should be singing about “Greased Lightning.”
Here’s how your favorite celebs celebrated Valentines Day
In case you wanted to relive your own dreamy, romantic evening.
Atlanta zoo names hissing cockroach after Tom Brady
In other news, no, we are not over the Super Bowl.
And finally …
It’s about time for a really, REALLY cute animal video
This will soothe your troubled soul.