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
President Trump is expected to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel today. Then, the world will hold its breath. The expected announcement, which also would include moving the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, would upend 70 years of international consensus and, many argue, stop the Mideast peace process in its tracks.
This announcement is extremely important because if a peace deal were reached one day, the Palestinians – and many in the international community – see East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. That becomes a lot tougher if Washington essentially recognizes Israel’s sovereignty over the whole city. If Trump makes this move, the Palestine Liberation Organization says it might revoke its recognition of Israel. Arab nations (many of them US allies) are furious. Everyone is worried about a new round of violence gripping the region, and the State Department’s security arm has been told to plan for potentially violent protests at US embassies and consulates.
But the White House says the move is a “recognition of reality” that Jerusalem has long been the seat of power in Israel. It also helps the President keep one of his biggest campaign promises, and it’s being cheered by his political base here and by many Israelis, especially Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
We haven’t talked about Brexit in forever, probably because the negotiations have been a lot less interesting than last year’s historic vote. But the UK’s divorce from the European Union has crossed a major hurdle, with a deal reached on the issue of the Irish border. Ireland is staying in the EU, and there were fears that border checkpoints between Ireland (which remains in the EU) and Northern Ireland (part of the UK) would hurt both economies and lead to unrest in the North. But this morning, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and British Prime Minister Theresa May announced there would be no “hard” border controls between the two. Now, Brexit talks move on to the truly hard work: hammering out a trade agreement.
2. Democratic National Committee
The British publicist who arranged the June 2016 meeting with Russians and Donald Trump Jr. sent multiple emails to a Russian participant and a member of Donald Trump’s inner circle later that summer, multiple sources told CNN, the first indication there was any follow-up after the meeting.
3. The Weinstein effect
Two more members of Congress are leaving amid claims of sexual harassment. Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks put out a statement last night saying he’ll resign in January. Franks said he had talked with two female staffers about them possibly becoming surrogates who could bear children for him and his wife. He acknowledged this made them uncomfortable but denied any sexual contact with them. The House Ethics Committee was about to start investigating him. CNN’s Chris Cillizza says the whole thing is just plain bizarre.
4. Russian investigation
The special election to fill Alabama’s Senate seat is less than a week away, and things are getting pretty intense. Steve Bannon came to town to campaign for GOP candidate Roy Moore, and he brought the fire against the whole GOP establishment. Democratic candidate Doug Jones (we’d almost forgotten there’s another guy in this race) focused on the sexual assault and harassment allegations against Moore, saying men who do things like that deserve to be in jail, not the US Senate. And Jones got an unexpected boost from an unlikely ally, Sen. Jeff Flake. The Arizona Republican tweeted out a photo of a $100 check addressed to Jones with the caption “Country over Party.”
Meantime, CNN’s Poppy Harlow told Roy Moore spokeswoman Janet Porter to “leave my child out of this, after Porter brought up the news anchor’s unborn child – twice – during an interview while talking about Moore’s stand against abortion.
5. Trump in Asia
Two students were killed in a shooting at a high school in New Mexico. The shooter, who also was killed, was male, but officials haven’t said if he was a student. The shooting happened right around 8 a.m. at Aztec High School in Aztec, a small town about three hours from Albuquerque. Students talked of hearing gunshots and hiding in their classrooms.
NUMBERS OF THE DAY
The number of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh that will be moved to a remote, flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Mirror, mirror
Just like Netflix
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em? Maybe that’s the strategy one of the nation’s biggest movie chains is embracing with its new subscription plan.
Makes no sense
As Tampa police announced an arrest in a serial killer case, a phony sign language interpreter signed a bunch of gibberish.
Good-bye, Johnny
He may not have been a household name in America, but Johnny Hallyday – the French Elvis – was a rock icon in France. He died of cancer at age 74.
The gift of GIFs
The top GIF for this year is called “white guy blinking,” and that pretty much sums up 2017.
QUIZ TIME
“It’s not over yet.”
Atlanta mayoral candidate Mary Norwood, who is calling for a recount after opponent Keisha Lance Bottoms declared victory
AND FINALLY …
Rock on
Watching kids trying new foods is always fun, so here are kids checking out 100 years worth of pastries. (Click to view.)