Protests get emotional in Baltimore. Saudi Arabia restarts airstrikes in Yemen. And the NFL releases its schedule for next season.
The shooting at a congressional baseball practice reminds us of something we too often forget: We are one country, and we’re all in this together. 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.
FREDDIE GRAY CASE
The next phase: The six officers charged in the Freddie Gray case head to court today for pretrial hearings. They face charges ranging from false imprisonment to involuntary manslaughter. Attorneys representing the officers want the charges dropped or Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby to recuse herself. Activists have announced protest plans, and the Baltimore Police Department has canceled all leave in case violence breaks out. The trial of the “Freddie Gray Six” is scheduled to begin in October.
CAMPAIGN 2016
Birthers are back!: Ted Cruz birtherism is officially a thing now, after Donald Trump said he wasn’t sure Cruz – who was born in Canada to an American mom – was even eligible to be president. And John McCain of all people agrees with Trump, saying it’s “worth looking into.” Remember, McCain faced his own birther questions during his 2008 run because he was born in Panama (but on a U.S. military base). Another reason why McCain is jumping into the fray: he pretty much hates Cruz’s guts.
GERMANY ASSAULTS
Bad advice: Germans were shocked by New Year’s Eve sex assaults and muggings in a number of cities. Groups of men of Arab or North African descent preyed upon women out celebrating the holiday. More than 100 complaints were filed in Cologne, while dozens of other attacks were reported in Hamburg and Stuttgart. The whole thing has reignited the debate over Germany’s open embrace of migrants. And Cologne’s mayor is in hot water after advising yesterday that women protect themselves by holding strange men at “an arm’s length.” Pfui!
IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL
One more vote: That’s all President Obama needs to get a major foreign policy victory. Supporters of his Iran nuke deal are just one vote shy of garnering enough support to keep the deal. That’s because yesterday two Senate Democrats – Chris Coons of Delaware and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania – announced their support. Some predict by the end of the week Obama will have the 34 Senate votes he needs to sustain his promised veto of the GOP’s upcoming resolution of disapproval, which will probably be voted on later this month.
ELTON JOHN
Punked: So, Elton John didn’t talk to Vladimir Putin after all. A Russian celebrity prankster known as Vovan said he and a sidekick made a prank call to John, posing as Putin and his press secretary and having a conversation with the British singer about gay rights. Excerpts from the alleged prank call were broadcast yesterday on state TV in Russia, and the fake Putin was interviewed by a late-night TV host. Vovan wouldn’t reveal how he got John’s phone number, though. He called that a “professional secret.”
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