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1. Alabama governor
Looks like the “Luv Guv” finally saw the writing on the wall. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley resigned as lawmakers were getting ready to impeach him over accusations he used state funds to hide an alleged affair with an ex-staffer. An ethics commission report said Bentley committed several felonies to keep all this a secret, but he only pleaded guilty to a few misdemeanors as part of his resignation.
2. California school shooting
A nightmare. There’s no other way to describe what happened in an elementary school classroom in San Bernardino. An armed man walks into the room and immediately fires on the teacher — his estranged wife — before killing himself. The teacher was killed. An 8-year-old boy standing behind the teacher was also hit and later died. The tragedy stirred up memories of not only past school shootings, like Newtown, but also the December 2015 terror attack in San Bernardino that killed 14 people.
3. Aviation
United Airlines dragged a passenger off an overbooked flight and the internet and flying public are not having it. Videos of the unidentified man — face bloodied, dragged down the aisle by security officers while other passengers screamed — lit up social media. Travelers vowed to never fly United again; the airlines’ CEO apologized for having to “re-accommodate” the passenger. And everyone was asking, can airlines really do that? Yes, they can.
4. Syria
Does anyone know what the US’ next steps in Syria will be? Initially after last week’s airstrikes, Team Trump said this was just a one-off to punish the Syrian regime for using chemical weapons against civilians. But White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the administration would respond if Syria uses barrel bombs against civilians again, something the regime does all the time. After Spicer’s briefing, White House officials quickly walked that one back. And Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and UN envoy Nikki Haley haven’t been on the same page either. Haley’s been saying that regime change in Syria is a top priority. Tillerson, though, says we have to beat ISIS first. Tillerson meets with his Russian counterparts today in Moscow, by the way, and he will reportedly try to shame Vladimir Putin into doing more to stop the war.
5. Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo should have seen the storm that formed around the bank over its fake accounts scandal because it was warned — 12 years ago! An internal report in August 2004 warned that the bank’s employees had an “incentive to cheat” because that would be the only way they could meet Wells Fargo’s unrealistic sales goals. The report — which recommended nixing the sales goals — was sent to the bank’s chief auditor, HR department and others. They must have filed it in the trash or something, because the report apparently never reached a wider audience within the bank.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
No race, no problem
Women in Tehran were excited to run in the city’s first international marathon. Then they were told they couldn’t run. So they ran their own secret race.
Washed white as snow
You can’t help but get that deep-down clean feeling, when you wash your clothes at a laundromat opened by the Pope.
With friends like these
Here’s today’s life lesson. When you’re having no luck in the casino slots, don’t let your friend hit the button for you. It may be the last time you see him or her.
Home sweet home
The crumbling, ramshackle Detroit house that Rosa Parks once lived in has found a new home — in Germany.
Out of here
The measles have been eliminated from the Americas, thanks to decades of mass vaccinations against the disease, the World Heath Organization says.
NUMBER OF THE DAY
$21.6 million
The cost so far of President Trump’s six weekend trips to Mar-A-Lago, his private club in Florida. He’s on pace to eclipse eight years of President Obama’s travel spending in just one year.
AND FINALLY …
Changing colors
Presenting color-changing inks that respond to the environment. (Click to view)
