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.
1. Congressional shooting
White House national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned Monday night after questions about his contacts with Russia reached a fever pitch. In his resignation letter, he said he had “inadvertently briefed” then-VP-elect Mike Pence and others on phone calls he had with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office. Flynn’s resignation leaves more questions than answers, among them:
2. President Trump
Kori Ali Muhammad was already a wanted man before police say he killed three people in a shooting spree in downtown Fresno, California. Police had been looking for him in the killing of a motel security guard. He told cops he thought the guard disrespected him. But Muhammad wasn’t going down just for killing a guard, Fresno’s police chief said, so he tried “to kill as many people as he could.” The victim’s loved ones are devastated, especially their kids. Racism – Muhammad said he hated white men – is thought to be the primary motive in the rampage, so police are calling it a hate crime. But it’s not always clear what the criteria are for labeling an act of violence a hate crime or terrorism.
President Trump’s lawyer went on all the Sunday talk shows saying that nothing questionable could have happened at the meeting because the Secret Service, which had started protecting Trump because he was the GOP nominee by then, had allowed the people in. But the Secret Service shot that idea down, noting that Trump Jr. wasn’t under its protection, so it wouldn’t have vetted the meeting’s participants.
3. London fire
The “No Spin Zone” is no more. Fox News let Bill O’Reilly go and canceled “The O’Reilly Factor,” after weeks of pressure, an advertiser exodus and an internal investigation into sexual harassment claims against the show host. It is a shocking end of an era. O’Reilly essentially was Fox News for the 21 years he was there, and just three weeks ago, the notion that something could knock him from his perch would have been unbelievable. Fox insiders say he wasn’t particularly liked but was considered invincible. Obviously, he wasn’t.
Puerto Rico’s power authority is working to cancel a controversial contract it awarded to a small Montana-based utility company in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The $300 million deal with Whitefish Energy has drawn widespread scrutiny. For one, the company’s only two years old and had just a few employees at the time the storm hit. It’s also based in the small hometown of US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Zinke says he had nothing to do with the contract, and the White House has also said it’s “not aware of any federal involvement in the selection.”
4. Fed rate hike
Wow, the feds really screwed this up. The top federal banking regulator says that years ago, officials saw lots of red flags at Wells Fargo that could have stopped the fake accounts scandal. We’re talking, like, hundreds of whistleblower complaints about the bank’s aggressive sales tactics. An internal report says the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency provided “ineffective” oversight of the bank. The regulator did confront a Wells Fargo exec about the complaints but apparently didn’t follow up. Bank leaders say they’ve eliminated the unrealistic sales goals that drove the scandal.
5. Fried potatoes study
Hundreds of thousands of anti-independence protesters rallied in the Catalan capital of Barcelona yesterday after Madrid took unprecedented measures to quash the region’s bid to split from Spain.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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The new Ford Fusions come fully loaded – powerful engine, A/C, state-of-the-art entertainment system and … $1 million in marijuana?
Was she out of paper?
Vladimir Putin performs an unexpected piano recital in China
The next Dr. Who will make history; for the first time a woman will take over the iconic role.
My hero
Ann Coulter went in on Delta over a seat mix-up. Delta wasn’t having it.
His students recite poetry and say the names of black men “senselessly killed” in an effort to share – and shape – feelings about race.
Best buds
Everyone let out a collective “awwww” when Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, met 2-month-old Justin-Trudeau, the son of Syrian immigrants.
Pot party
AND FINALLY …
Like the rest of us, Buddy the beagle probably had a challenging week, so he lets off some steam by tickling the ivories. (Click to view)
One real horse + one fake pony = comedy gold.