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1. Police reform
We’re still learning about yesterday afternoon’s shooting at the YouTube headquarters near San Francisco. A female shooter opened fire, injuring three people before killing herself with a handgun. The shooter has been identified as 39-year-old Nasim Najafi Aghdam. Police still aren’t sure of a motive and say they know “very, very little right now.” They say there’s no evidence that she knew the victims or that anyone was specifically targeted.
The YouTube headquarters is home to 1,100 employees. After the incident, the tech giant released a statement, saying, “It feels like the entire community of YouTube, and all the employees were victims of this crime.”
Just months ago, it seemed almost inevitable that hostilities would return to the Korean Peninsula. This morning, the world faces a startling new prospect: a peninsula at peace. The leaders of North and South Korea met at the DMZ this morning for their much anticipated, historic summit. They did not disappoint:
MONDAY
Ireland holds a monumental referendum tomorrow. The Catholic-majority country will vote on whether to repeal its abortion laws, which are some of the most restrictive in Europe. Ireland’s abortion laws are drawn from the Eighth Amendment to the country’s constitution, which places the right to life of an unborn child on equal footing with the right to life of the mother. If a majority of people vote yes on the referendum, Ireland is expected to enact legislation that would allow abortions up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Campaigning, as you might expect, has been intense, and controversial, as some Americans have traveled to the Emerald Isle to influence the vote.
Chinese goods that may be subject to tariffs:
Aerospace and marine equipment: Air combat flying simulators, airplane parts, helicopters, tankers, ferries and fishing boats
Manufacturing: Bookbinding machines, brewery machines, concrete mixers, hand-held blowtorches, milking machines, nuclear reactors, snowplows
Medical supplies: Artificial body parts, artificial teeth, catheters, dental fillings, hearing aids, vaccines for humans and animals
Other: Artillery weapons, cash registers, fire extinguishers, flamethrowers, seismographs
3. Election 2020
Ronny Jackson is out and Mike Pompeo is in – as another remarkable/chaotic week comes to a close at the White House. Jackson, after days of misconduct allegations, threw in the towel and withdrew his nomination for VA chief. A couple hours later, the Senate confirmed Pompeo as secretary of state; he promptly hopped a plane for NATO meetings in Brussels, then the Middle East. All the while, House members grilled EPA chief Scott Pruitt over claims of extravagant spending, with one calling him “unfit” for public office.
THURSDAY
The Maldives is adjusting to a new political reality today after surprising results from a highly anticipated presidential election this weekend. The country’s president, Abdulla Yameen, appears to have been beaten out by his opposition, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. This is critical to the Maldivan people because of Yameen’s controversial rule. Yameen came to power in 2013 in a disputed election that opponents say was rigged. Since then, he has been accused of eroding democracy, cracking down on dissent and jailing opposition leaders. Earlier this year, the country was plunged into a political crisis when Yameen defied a Supreme Court ruling to reinstall opposition members of parliament and release political prisoners.
5. Nigeria
On this day in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed on a motel balcony in Memphis. It is a tragic anniversary that conjures up so many questions: 50 years after his death, what does King’s legacy mean today? How do his politics speak to our time? What would our country be like if only had he lived?
NBC News is dealing with yet another one of its big names being accused of sexual harassment: former “Nightly News” anchor Tom Brokaw. Ex-NBC correspondent Linda Vester said Brokaw twice tried to kiss her, groped her and showed up at her hotel room uninvited back in the ’90s. Brokaw, who retired 14 years ago, denied the claims. NBC News is still reeling from former “Today” show anchor Matt Lauer’s ouster over “inappropriate sexual behavior.” It’s not clear what action, if any, NBC News will take on the Brokaw allegations.
THIS JUST IN …
RIP, Roy
How can we record our dreams?
This sounds like a good idea – until you have that one where you show up to work in your underpants.
Your worst nightmares
The Hubble telescope discovered the farthest single star ever seen
Its nickname is “Icarus.” Have fun dissecting that one, mythology pedants.
This intense video appears to show snow, but it’s actually … pollen
Warning: Your eyes may water just looking at it.
Bed Bath & Beyond will exchange your Toys ‘R’ Us gift cards
Which makes sense, because Bed Bath & Beyond is just a toy store for people who love linens and aromatherapy diffusers.
New dinosaur tracks have been discovered in Scotland
This can only mean one thing: The Loch Ness Monster is real, y’all!
TODAY’S NUMBER
33,000
The weight, in pounds, of biowaste (poop) that the mayor of Parrish, Alabama, says has been rotting since January in the rail yard of her small town.
AND FINALLY
Pay no attention to the man on the dumbbells.
All that work, only to get overshadowed by a senior citizen draining free throws. (Click here to view.)