Fancy yourself a fixer-upper type? There’s a half-built skyscraper with your name on it. (It’ll only set you back $85 million.) Now, here’s what 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. Afghanistan attack
Once again, a terror attack has rocked Kabul. This time, it was a suicide bomber who detonated his explosives in the meeting room of a Shiite cultural center. The blast killed at least 40 people. Attacks such as these are becoming depressingly regular in the Afghan capital. Terrorists have attacked mosques, military bases, even sport stadiums. They’ve targeted civilians, police and the military in equal measure.
2. Weather
If you live in the Midwest or Northeast, the end of 2017 is going to straight up chill you to the bone. The blast of Arctic air that’s frozen the Midwest spreads to the Northeast, just in time for New Year’s Eve. So, when you’re out and about celebrating the holiday, keep your skin covered as much as possible to protect from frostbite. International Falls, Minnesota — a place that knows a little something about cold temps — had a record-breaking low temperature of -36 degrees F yesterday. And Erie, Pennsylvania, sits under 65 inches (!!!) of snow.
3. Sexual harassment
Women combat sexual harassment and assault at work and on the streets. They’re fighting the same battles in the air, too: unwanted groping and worse on planes. Airlines say they have zero tolerance for this type of misbehavior, but often flight attendants come across like they don’t really know how to handle such situations. And it’s difficult to determine just how widespread the problem is because the federal government doesn’t track numbers.
4. Taxes
The GOP tax plan has been the law of the land for less than a week but already it’s spurred a change — people paying their property taxes early. Residents in high-tax states like California and New York are rushing to pay up because the new tax plan limits the amount of money you can deduct for state income, sales and property taxes to $10,000. Right now those deductions are unlimited.
5. Vladimir Putin
If there were any doubts that Vladimir Putin excercises nearly total control in Russia, the past couple of days should erase them. The Russian President is officially running for re-election for a fourth term, in a race that he’ll most certainly win. It helps that his only serious opponent, Alexey Navalny, has been conveniently barred from running. Putin has also pretty much given his security forces a license to kill, saying they should “terminate” criminals if they feel their lives are in danger: “Act decisively, take no hostages and terminate the bandits on the spot.”
BREAKFAST BROWSE
Take the Trump train
Israel’s naming a high-speed rail station in Jerusalem after President Trump, as the whole country experiences a Trump-naming frenzy.
Twitter trim
Twitter is too much for even the Library of Congress now. No longer will it save every single public tweet. Alas, your rants are now lost to history.
They have so much in common
For over 60 years these friends were bros for life. Then a DNA test revealed they were bros for real.
Time’s (almost) up
If you know something about the 1990 art heist at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, you better speak up. The $10 million reward ends soon.
Not all fun and games
Play video games — a lot? Next year, the World Health Organization will list it as a mental disorder.
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH
But wait, there’s Moore!
Alabama is supposed to certify Doug Jones’ Senate election win today. But Roy Moore isn’t going down easy. The Republican, who lost by more than 20,000 votes, has filed a complaint claiming voter fraud and wants a new special election.
NUMBER OF THE DAY
16
The number of years in a row that Hillary Clinton has been named America’s most-admired woman in an annual Gallup poll. Among men, Barack Obama is the most admired, followed by President Trump.
AND FINALLY …
‘What’s up dude?’
It’s 70 people from 70 countries doing their best imitations of American accents. Note to the rest of the world: we don’t all sound like California valley girls. (Click to view)