Welcome to the weekend, when the days of shopping tax-free on Amazon comes to an end. (But you have more space on Twitter to vent about it). Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
By the way, you can also get “5 Things” as an e-mailed newsletter. Sign up here.
1. China
Chinese President Xi Jinping will swing by the Mar-a-Lago resort this week to visit with President Trump. So just what will the two leaders talk about over those rounds of golf? North Korea is a good guess, especially after Trump’s interview this weekend in the Financial Times. The President said the US would go it alone to stop North Korea’s nuclear weapons program if the Chinese don’t step in. They’ll probably discuss trade too, since Trump torched China about the country’s supposed trade inequities during his campaign.
2. Supreme Court nomination
This is the week to put up or shut up. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation vote is planned for Friday. Senate Democrats say they’ve got enough votes to filibuster his nomination. Senate Republicans swear Gorsuch will be confirmed. It will probably all hinge on whether the GOP decides to use the so-called nuclear option. Under that scenario, the Senate would change the rules and Gorsuch could be confirmed with a simple majority, or at least 51 votes, instead of the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster (for reference, the GOP has a 52-48 majority in the chamber).
3. Colombia mudslides
It’s nothing but misery in southern Colombia. More than 200 people are dead and over 100 are missing after mudslides wiped out entire communities over the weekend. Three rivers swelled and overflowed after torrential rains Friday night, pushing mud through the rugged, remote area and forcing people to run for their lives. Homes, bridges and highways were flattened. Many of the dead and missing are children.
4. Ecuador elections
One candidate declared himself the winner in Ecuador’s presidential election, but sometimes things aren’t that simple. Leftist and ruling party candidate Lenin Moreno says he won the national vote, but his opponent, conservative opposition candidate Guillermo Lasso, said things are too close to call, so he wants a recount. Moreno and Lasso are within three percentage points of each other with more than 96% of the vote counted. A recount will take weeks. Meanwhile, people took to the streets to protest the muddled outcome.
5. Oklahoma police shooting
It was his fault. So says Betty Shelby, the white police officer charged in the shooting death of an unarmed black motorist last year in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In her first public comments since the shooting, Shelby says the man, Terence Crutcher, “caused” his own death when he wouldn’t follow her commands during a traffic stop. She thought he was reaching into his vehicle to get a gun when she shot him; video shows him walking away with his arms in the air before he was shot. Shelby also said race wasn’t a factor. She goes on trial for manslaughter next month.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
First ladies
Say hello to the new champs of women’s college basketball — the South Carolina Gamecocks, who won their first national title last night.
Date night
First they beat up their rivals, then wrestlers John Cena and Nikki Bella got engaged at WrestleMania 33. Ain’t love grand?
Fight night
Apparently actor Matthew Perry and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau have some schoolyard history to settle.
Lethal weapon
Hey bad guys, you might want to step lightly in Connecticut. A bill there would let cops use weaponized drones on you.
A Sin City sin
When in Vegas, you can gamble and party the night away, but don’t you dare buy any weed. Recreational marijuana is legal in Nevada, but not on the Strip.
AND FINALLY …
This is how you do it
The Academy of Country Music Awards makes fun of the Oscars’ big screw-up. (Click to view)