Are you job hunting? So is Jake Arrieta, who is having trouble finding work, despite winning a Cy Young award and helping the Cubs win the World Series. 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. White House
Another week, another Trump White House departure. Now, it’s Gary Cohn, the President’s top economic adviser. Trump and others said all the right things (Gary “did a superb job in driving our agenda,” yada, yada, yada), but it’s obvious that Trump’s fierce commitment to imposing tariffs drove Cohn out.
And that wasn’t the day’s only White House drama. Stormy Daniels popped up again, too. The porn star is suing the President, claiming he never signed a hush agreement about an alleged sexual encounter between them, so she believes the pact is void. Trump denies any such encounter.
2. Immigration
The battle between President Trump and California just ticked up a notch. The administration is now suing the state over its immigration policies, specifically trying to stop a cluster of so-called “sanctuary state” bills. Trump and others have often attacked California’s immigration stance, which includes local officials not cooperating with the feds on enforcement. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is due to talk about the suit today in Sacramento during an appearance at a state law enforcement group’s meeting.
3. North Korea
So, are we witnessing the beginning of a historic breakthrough or just tiptoeing on the edge of another trap? North Korea’s making nice with the South and saying all the right things: willing to talk to the US about giving up its nukes and promising not to do any missile tests while talking with the South Koreans. But CNN’s Stephen Collinson says the world has seen the North do this before. The regime starts a cycle of brinkmanship and provocations, followed by a willingness to talk, then dangles the possibility of concessions that never materialize. President Trump should be wary, he says.
4. UK and Russia
The UK will smack back at the Russians — hard — if they’re found to be behind the suspected poisoning of an ex-double agent. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson made that threat while talking about the critical illness of Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Skripal, an ex-Russian military official convicted of spying for the UK and his adult daughter were found slumped on a bench in a shopping center in Salisbury, England. They’re both critically ill in a hospital, suspected of being sickened by exposure to “an unknown substance.”
5. Weather
Here we go again. Another nor’easter is slamming the East Coast, as residents are still trying to recover from the weekend’s bomb cyclone storm. More than 50 million people from Philly to Boston are under winter storm warnings and watches. Almost 2,000 flights have been canceled today. There’ll be snow (lots of it), coastal flooding and high winds. You can track the storm here.
TODAY’S NUMBERS
342
The number of children killed so far this year in Syria, according to UNICEF. Another 803 kids have been injured as the civil war nears its seventh year.
5%
The pay raise West Virginia teachers won. Gov. Jim Justice signed a bill authorizing it, ending a nine-day strike. Schools should reopen today.
THIS JUST IN …
Officer killed in Missouri
One police officer was shot dead and two others injured overnight in the city of Clinton after they responded to a 911 phone call punctuated by screams.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
Dancing queen
Michelle Obama met the 2-year-old girl who was awestruck by her official portrait. Of course, they got a few dance steps in.
Wonder women
Zan TV, the all-female TV station in Afghanistan, brings attention to women’s issues in a country where women’s rights are on the brink.
Burnin’ words
Dumpster fire. It’s not just for GIFs anymore. It’s in the dictionary now, along with embiggen, mansplain, glamping and 850 other new words.
The robots are coming
We keep warning you. Facebook has a patent for a robot that could one day follow you around the house — and take pictures.
Spoiler alert
Meet the new “Bachelorette.” Let’s just say you’ve seen her before, and she’s taking a second chance on love.
TODAY’S QUOTES
“Nashville will … continue its steady march toward the very top of the list of great American cities. It’s a continued climb that I will watch, but I will watch as a private citizen.”
Megan Barry, announcing her resignation as mayor after she pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge in the fallout from her affair with a bodyguard
“My brain was trying to climb out of my head.”
NBA player Kevin Love, talking about the panic attack he suffered last year in the middle of a game
AND FINALLY
Are you chicken?
Before you can become a cop at Indiana University, you’ve got to pass the dreaded “chicken test.” (Click to view.)