Celebrities and sports stars are helping Harvey survivors. You can, too. 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. Harvey
The rain may have finally stopped for (most of) the Houston area, but the misery remains. Harvey dumped about 50 inches of rain on southeast Texas, a record for the lower 48 states. Now, the storm is moving into moving into Louisiana. Harvey made a second landfall as a tropical storm early this morning near the Louisiana-Texas border, bringing 30- to 40-mph winds, a 2- to 4-foot storm surge and as much as 12 inches of rain.
There are 11 confirmed deaths from the storm, including a Houston police officer who drowned while trying to get to work. There are also people missing, including a family of six that was swept away in a van. The economic toll is also predicted to be staggering. Already, 500,000 cars that may have been destroyed in Houston by Harvey.
Stories of people stepping up to help each other are abundant. There’s the furniture store owner who is letting evacuees sleep in his showroom. And the Cajun Navy, which is still saving people in Houston, even as the storm now threatens its home state. Harvey hasn’t brought out the best in everybody, though. There are lots of scams out there, and scattered reports of looting, which is why Houston’s mayor imposed a nightly curfew.
As Harvey moves into Louisiana, residents of New Orleans are reviewing lessons from Hurricane Katrina, which hit 12 years ago.
2. President Trump
The President’s visit to Texas was closely watched, as Harvey is the first national disaster on his watch. So, how did he do? Trump made a strong pledge to work with Congress to secure disaster-relief funding for the state and praised his team. But oddly enough, he dispensed no hugs or displays of compassion to survivors of the storm. So, he may have some work to do on the “empathy” thing. Twitter almost broke with criticism of Melania Trump’s stilettos, but that’s just silly when people’s lives are at stake. Trump goes back on the road today. He’ll visit Springfield, Missouri, to pitch his vision of tax reform.
3. North Korea
Shooting a missile over Japan may be just the beginning. North Korea says its next target is Guam. The regime, in its first public comments since test-firing an intermediate-range missile over northern Japan, said the latest missile test is part of military operations directed at Guam. That prompted President Trump to once again declare “all options are on the table.” The UN also condemned the North’s “outrageous actions.”
4. Russia investigation
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has issued subpoenas to a former lawyer for Paul Manafort and to Manafort’s current spokesman, an aggressive tactic that suggests an effort to add pressure on the former Trump campaign chairman. The subpoenas seeking documents and testimony were sent to Melissa Laurenza, an attorney with the Akin Gump law firm who until recently represented Manafort, and to Jason Maloni, who is Manafort’s spokesman, according to people familiar with the matter.
Manafort is under investigation for possible tax and financial crimes, according to US officials briefed on the investigation. The allegations under investigation largely center on Manafort’s work for the former ruling party in Ukraine, which was ousted amid street protests over its pro-Russian policies.
5. Salmonella outbreak
There’s a new salmonella outbreak, and it has a source you probably haven’t thought about: turtles. That’s because turtles can carry salmonella bacteria on their skin or shells. The CDC says there have been 37 cases of salmonella reported across 13 states since March. Most of the cases involve kids younger than 5. In almost half the cases, the patients said they had been in recent contact with a turtle. So, the CDC says: don’t pet turtles or give them as gifts.
NUMBERS OF THE DAY
500,000
That’s the number of cars that may have been destroyed in Houston by Harvey
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
Need a ride?
Jon Runyan’s been a lot of things in his life: pro-football player, US congressman. Now he’s adding part-time Uber driver to his resume.
Maybe ‘SNL’ is next
Sean Spicer’s post-White House life isn’t so bad. He’s been hanging out at Boston Red Sox games and finally got to meet the Pope.
Kim Onassis?
Kim K doesn’t mind courting controversy, and that’s what she got with a magazine cover in which she seems to channel Jackie Onassis.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown
Angelique Kerber, hope you enjoyed your time as the women’s US Open champ, because it’s over now, thanks to a 19-year-old.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Nowhere is political journalism so free, so robust, or perhaps so rowdy as in the United States”
Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who tossed out Sarah Palin’s defamation lawsuit against The New York Times
AND FINALLY …
That’s so annoying
Deaf and hearing-impaired people humorously share the questions they get that tick them off the most. (Click to view)