New Orleans has been sued — again — over its plans to remove Confederate statues. Here’s what else 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. Russia saga
Seems like everybody tried to warn President Trump about Michael Flynn. President Obama put Trump on notice during the Oval Office meeting two days after the election. And Sally Yates, the former acting attorney general, testified to a Senate panel that she told White House counsel Don McGahn in January that Flynn, Trump’s then-national security adviser, was vulnerable to blackmail because of his undisclosed Russia connections. Flynn, of course, was forced out over the matter. After Yates testified, the White House maintained its “move along, nothing to see here” defense, and Trump launched a tweetstorm, denying “collusion” between his campaign and Russia. But questions about the President’s judgment in the whole affair — and all those links to the Russians — aren’t going away anytime soon.
2. Afghanistan
More US troops could be headed to Afghanistan. President Trump is due to get proposals this week on putting between 1,500 and 5,000 more troops in the country to train Afghan forces and fight the Taliban. But Trump is likely to get serious pushback from strategist Steve Bannon, who represents the nationalist faction in the White House, which frowns upon increased military interventions, especially in the Middle East. US troops have been fighting for nearly 16 years in Afghanistan against the Taliban and other terror groups, including ISIS, which was the target last month of the US’ “mother of all bombs.”
3. Life expectancy
Want to live longer? Well, you may want to move. A bunch of scientists crunched the numbers on life expectancy for every county in the US from 1980 through 2014. They found life expectancy differences of 20 years among some counties. Counties with the lowest life expectancy were in North and South Dakota, while counties in central Colorado had the highest. The study didn’t get into why people live longer in certain counties, though it did note factors that contribute to the gap, like socioeconomics and access to health care.
4. Phoenix serial shooter
He almost always struck at night, standing next to his car and blasting away complete strangers with his pistol. Now police in Phoenix say they’ve caught the so-called “serial street shooter.” Aaron Juan Saucedo, 23, killed nine people last year in 12 incidents, the city’s police chief said. New evidence and community tips helped lead to the arrest. The attacks caused near panic in the low-income neighborhood where most of the shootings took place. Most of the victims were killed just walking down the street or standing in their yards.
5. Measles outbreak
There’s a measles outbreak right now in Minnesota, and health officials blame anti-vaccination groups. The groups started targeting Minnesota’s large Somali community about a decade ago, after several Somali children enrolled in special education services for autism. (Some people oppose vaccination because they think it causes autism in children, but that’s just not true.) Vaccination rates in the community tumbled, and now Minnesota is suffering its largest measles outbreak in more than 20 years. Right now, there are 48 cases — almost all of them Somali children.
Breakfast Browse
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
Bye-bye
Pepe the frog is dead and buried. His creator yanked him out of this life and blamed the alt-right for appropriating him.
Maybe it was a tribute
Things that will get you fired if you’re a deputy: waving around your gun and Taser and quoting Denzel Washington lines from “Training Day.”
Police escort
Her police officer dad was killed when she was young. Last weekend she went to her prom, and dozens of “boys in blue” showed up to see her off.
Bringing sand to the beach
On Ireland’s west coast, there’s a brand new beautiful beach now that the Atlantic has returned all the sand it stole away 30 years ago.
Take that
First she called Maria Sharapova a “cheater” who shouldn’t be allowed back in women’s pro tennis. Then Eugenie Bouchard kicked her butt in a match. Ouch.
The pen is mightier
He lost out on his chance to be “first gentleman,” so Bill Clinton’s found a new gig — writing a thriller novel with master storyteller James Patterson.
And finally …
‘I do’
He wanted to read the vows to make sure he got them right. Then he said he would take her as his husband … twice. Whoops! (Click to view)
