A new study says saturated fats don’t clog arteries. So go ahead and fry up that bacon guilt-free while you catch up on the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. (You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)
1. Sanctuary cities
A federal judge blocked President Trump’s attempt to withhold federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities. The ruling — a preliminary injunction against Trump’s executive order signed in January — is just the latest bad news for the administration on the immigration front. The judge said the cities and other jurisdictions, which don’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts, would be harmed if the President’s order goes into effect and that their constitutional challenge of the order would probably succeed. The White House called the ruling an “egregious overreach by a single, unelected district judge.”
2. Russia investigation
The Russia probe is heating back up. The House Oversight Committee looking into meddling in the US election says retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump’s ex-national security adviser, probably broke the law when he failed to disclose more than $45,000 in payments from Russia for a speech he gave on Russian state TV. Meantime, ex-acting Attorney General Sally Yates will testify next month before a Senate committee that’s looking into Russian interference in last year’s election. Yates is expected to talk about phone calls between Flynn and a Russian ambassador. Need a refresher on all the players? Here you go.
3. Obamacare
Maybe we’ll have a government shutdown after all. The threat of a shutdown eased somewhat when President Trump backed down from demanding that border wall funding be included in the spending bill that Congress must pass by Friday to keep the government running. Now Democrats are saying they won’t vote for the bill unless money for Obamacare subsidies is included. Subsidies help make health care more affordable for low-income enrollees. The fight comes as House Republicans are trying to revive Obamacare negotiations.
4. Trade disputes
While the US faces off against Canada over timber tariffs, it lost a battle with Mexico over tuna. The World Trade Organization ruled that Mexico could hit the US with $163 million a year in sanctions. Mexico says that’s how much it has lost because the US penalizes Mexican tuna, which America says is fished using a method that kills dolphins. Mexico says it plays by the rules. The timing is sensitive, as President Trump says he wants to renegotiate NAFTA.
5. Fitbit murder
We’ve entered a brave new world. Police arrested a man in his wife’s killing — based on evidence found in her Fitbit. He had told police that intruders attacked him and killed his wife, but the Fitbit showed she was moving around when, based on his story, she would have been dead. Technology is turning up more and more in criminal cases, like Amazon Echo recordings used in an Arkansas murder case and a pacemaker used in an Ohio arson case.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Buckle up
Uber has unveiled plans to develop flying car prototypes by 2020. Science fiction said we’d have them by now, but we can wait a few years.
Run the world
Beyonce’s latest project isn’t a new album or a sizzling music video. It’s four college scholarships for young women.
Mural madness
There’s a new mural of Michelle Obama in Chicago, and some folks are PO’d about it, but not for the reasons you’d think.
Last in line
Congrats, United. Despite that whole dragging-a-passenger-off-the-plane thing, you’re still not America’s least-liked airline.
A good deed
She lost a $676 money order. He found it and gave it back. She gave him $40 as a reward, then listened to his story and realized she needed to do more.
AND FINALLY …
Pok-e-what?
This dad knows nothing about Pokemon, so of course he’s the perfect person to explain the phenomenon to you. (Click to view)
