Buckle up folks. There’s a ton of news out there, so let’s get straight to it. 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. Russia investigation
President Donald Trump called for special counsel Robert Mueller’s firing last June, according to one person familiar with the matter. White House counsel Don McGahn refused to order the Justice Department to fire Mueller because he disagreed with the President’s reasoning, the source said. However, according to the source, McGahn did not threaten to resign directly to the President. The New York Times was first to report that Trump called for Mueller’s departure in June 2017. Trump, as he entered the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this morning, called the report “fake news.”
2. Immigration
President Trump’s willing to give 1.8 million undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship. The price? About $25 billion for his long-promised border wall. The immigration framework would help DACA-eligible people become citizens but also stop family migration beyond spouses and minor children, end the diversity visa lottery and make it easier to deport people. The White House calls the proposal a “dramatic concession.” One Democrat called it “a legislative burning cross,” so no, the Dems don’t like it. Conservatives with more hard-line views on immigration aren’t big fans of the proposal either.
3. South Korea fire
At least 37 people died in a fire that blazed through a hospital in Miryang, South Korea. It’s the country’s deadliest fire in almost a decade. The hospital didn’t have sprinklers, and it took three hours to knock out the flames. Most of those killed were elderly patients. Now, there are real concerns over lax safety standards in the country, because this fire comes about a month after a similar tragedy left 29 dead in the city of Jecheon.
4. Kentucky school shooting
Fifteen-year-old Bailey Holt called her parents after the shooting at Marshall County High School, in what would be one of the last acts of her life. Her mother said Bailey “couldn’t say anything” during the call and there was nothing but “chaos” in the background. Bailey died at the school, one of two students killed in this week’s shooting. Her parents called her a “perfect daughter” who wanted to be a nurse. Authorities haven’t ID’d the 15-year-old suspect in the shooting, who is charged with two counts of murder and 12 counts of first-degree assault. Classes resume at the school this morning.
5. Libya videos
The videos are shocking, even revolting: Sudanese migrants in Libya being whipped and tortured and forced to beg their families for money. Relatives of these men shared the disturbing video clips on social media in a desperate bid to get them some help. And help came. Libyan special forces tracked down the location where the men were being held and raided it, freeing eight hostages and arresting four kidnappers. These latest images of abuse come after CNN last year revealed migrants were being sold at slave auctions in Libya, prompting worldwide outrage and investigations.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“As of today, it is two minutes to midnight.”
Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, as the group moved the second hand forward on its Doomsday Clock
NUMBERS OF THE DAY
6
The number of days the US Olympic Committee is giving the rest of USA Gymnastics’ board of directors to resign
450,000
The approximate number of customers still without power in Puerto Rico, more than four months after Hurricane Maria
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
Happiest place on Earth
If you find yourself in need of a new kidney, making a trip to Disney World isn’t that bad of an idea.
Shell-shocked
It’s probably a portrait Vladimir Putin wouldn’t like: A 7-foot-tall image of him made from spent bullet shells.
Going the wrong way
Well, you don’t read this everyday: An escaped inmate in Texas was caught as he was trying to sneak back in to prison.
Badu’s -isms
Yes, folks are shocked about singer Erykah Badu’s Hitler comments, but come on, this is Erykah Badu we’re talking about.
Shining star
A satellite shaped like a disco ball is orbiting the Earth and hoping to give us all a little more hope.
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH
Davos discourse
President Trump is due to talk up America’s economic successes and tone down the lectures on globalization when he speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this morning at 8 ET. Watch it live on CNN.
Quiz timeÂ
Scientists in Shanghai, China, announced they’ve successfully cloned what?Â
A. Two sheep
B. Two pigs
C. Two monkeys
D. Two elephants
Play Total Recall: The CNN News Quiz to see if you got it right.
AND FINALLY …
Slow down
Movie explosions are cool. Clips of people running in slow motion are, too. No one is better qualified to combine those two than the Slo-Mo Guys. (Click to view.)
