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
We still don’t know if Irma will hit the US, but people are getting out of the way. In Florida, there’s gridlock on the roads as people evacuate. Governors in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia have declared states of emergency.
And Irma, one of the strongest storms ever seen in the Atlantic, isn’t alone out there. There are two other hurricanes – Jose, out in the open Atlantic, and Katia, in the southern Gulf of Mexico. It’s the first time since 2010 there have been three active hurricanes at the same time in the Atlantic Ocean. And we’re only about halfway through the season.
Irma has weakened a bit – it’s been downgraded to a strong Category 4 storm – but don’t let your guard down. This is still one of the most dangerous storms we’ve ever seen, and it’s killed at least 10 people. Irma’s maximum sustained winds are 155 mph, and it’s headed straight for Florida. This morning, the storm is between Cuba and the Turks and Caicos, after pummeling Barbuda and St. Martin, and is expected to pass through the Bahamas before slamming into Miami this weekend.
2. Democratic National Committee
So why did Trump do this? One, he wanted a win on something, and two, he wanted to get these items out of the way so Congress will have time to take up tax reform before the year ends. But one GOP Senate aide told CNN that what Trump did actually killed any hope of advancing his agenda this year.
A mammoth earthquake hit early this morning off the coast of southern Mexico. The 8.1-magnitude quake killed at least four people, triggered tsunamis and was felt as far away as Mexico City and Guatemala City. The power is out in parts of Mexico City, and people have gathered in the streets, some in their nightclothes. The epicenter of the quake was near the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, two of the country’s more impoverished areas, and damage there is expected to be extensive.
3. The Weinstein effect
Hackers hit one of the big three credit-reporting companies in one of the one of the worst data breaches in history. Equifax says cybercrooks accessed the names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and driver’s license numbers of as many as 143 million Americans. Think about that number for a second. That’s almost half of the country. The breach happened between mid-May and July, although Equifax said it didn’t discover it until the end of July. You should check to see if you’re affected by the hack, and Equifax is providing free credit-file monitoring and ID-theft protection for a year.
5. Fried potatoes study
5. Trump in Asia
Donald Trump Jr. told Senate judiciary committee staffers Thursday that he did not recall the details of White House involvement in the public response to his 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer and did not know much about the Air Force One meeting that allegedly led to the production of the statement, sources told CNN. Trump Jr. was explicitly asked whether he either took any of the Russian participants in the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting to see his father – now President Donald Trump – or whether he told his father about the meeting after, sources said. He insisted he did neither.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
Pass the Bordeaux
Richard Branson rode out Hurricane Irma in style – on his own private island, in a wine cellar, playing games – because that’s how billionaires roll.
Rap the vote
Welcome to Atlanta, where the players play and rap stars moderate forums for mayoral candidates.
Hey, ladies
For the first time in more than three decades, the semifinals of the women’s US Open will be an all-American affair.
Makes you want to scream
The King of Pop is gone, but his music lives on. A new Michael Jackson album is due out in time for Halloween.
Doughnuts and subs don’t mix?
Causing a ruckus
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I’m a very good diaper guy, which I didn’t know I would be”
Actor and director George Clooney, on what it’s like to be a father
NUMBER OF THE DAY
200
The number of Gap and Banana Republic stores that are closing
New sanctions on North Korea
AND FINALLY …
A black and white tuxedo cat perfectly mimics the moves of the cat clock on the wall. (Click to view)
Another day, another cat video. This time Snowflake the Persian cat freaks out over a very real-looking robot spider. (And who wouldn’t?) (Click to view)