5 things for Monday, March 6: Wiretap, Marines, North Korea

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1. Trump administration

So President Trump accused the Obama administration of wiretapping his phones at Trump Tower before the election and now everyone is scrambling to understand what it all means. The FBI has asked the Department of Justice to refute the claim, while the White House is doubling down. It’s asked Congress to investigate whether the wiretapping did happen, even though people on both sides of the aisle are saying it didn’t — or couldn’t. 

2. North Korea

North Korea is back at it again with the missiles. They fired four ballistic missiles into the waters off the coast of Japan this morning. Japan called it an “extremely dangerous action,” and South Korea also condemned the test. Experts think this latest showing from the volatile nation is in response to joint military exercises between South Korea and the US, which North Korea sees as a possible precursor to invasion. It may also be a sign that the nation’s missile program is speeding up its progress. 

3. Marines

The Navy has opened an investigation after someone posted explicit photos of female Marines and other service members online. The photos were published on a Google drive folder that was shared to a private Facebook group, where members asked other people to submit photos of women without their knowledge. It’s not yet clear how many people were involved in the exchange. 

4. Sikh shooting

A Sikh man was shot in the arm while cleaning his car in Seattle on Friday, and now the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. The victim told police the gunman said “Go back to your country” before attacking him. If that sounds sadly familiar, it’s because a different gunman said a similar thing before shooting three people at a Kansas bar in February. One man, an Indian immigrant, was killed in that attack. 

5. Mosul

More than 57,000 Iraqis have fled Mosul over the last few weeks. The exodus was spurred by a military operation that started last month to take back the western part of the city from ISIS. The Iraqi government is providing relief and food, but residents are facing even more danger now: A handful of citizens were injured in a suspected chemical attack last week. That kind of warfare, which has horrific human consequences, goes against international law. 

BREAKFAST BROWSE

People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.

‘Do you beat your wife?’

That was one of the questions two Muslim men had to answer before they could talk to an Oklahoma state legislator. Yeesh. 

Russian lawmaker wants to ban ‘Beauty and the Beast’ remake

He called it a “shameless propaganda of sin,” which actually makes a pretty intriguing Rotten Tomatoes review. 

Louisiana Congressman apologizes for Kellyanne Conway remark

He had made an EXTREMELY off-color joke about that infamous couch pic.

This is what happens to your brain when you give up sugar

It probably just thinks about cupcakes all day? 

How a deformed doggo avoided death and gained internet fame 

His name is Picasso and he is perfect. 

And finally …

I’m so freaked out by this bird singing Rihanna

Put on headphones, turn the volume up, whatever you need to do to hear this impression.