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The Nasdaq topped 10,000 for the first time ever, proving that during this period of economic uncertainty, America still has faith in tech stocks like Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Netflix.
Here’s what else 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. Police reform
President Trump is headed to Portsmouth this morning, where he’ll join Queen Elizabeth and other royals, plus Prime Minister Theresa May and other politicians, for a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. Veterans of the Normandy landings will also be there. In an interview earlier with British TV, Trump said he talked with Prince Charles about climate change and was “moved” by his passion on the subject (Trump’s skepticism on man-made climate change is well known). The President later today stops in Ireland before heading to France for another D-Day ceremony.
Meanwhile, back home in Washington, Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Mexico as a way to pressure the nation on immigration is meeting fierce resistance – from his own party. Some GOP senators told White House and Justice Department officials the plan is ill-advised, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said there isn’t “much support” for it. Elsewhere in the world, Chinese President Xi Jinping travels to Russia today for a three-day state visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
MONDAY
The former school resource officer who stayed outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the 2018 massacre faces felony charges. Scot Peterson, an ex-Broward County sheriff’s deputy, has been charged with 11 counts, including felony child neglect charges. He’s been criticized for not going into the school to try to stop the shooting. Instead, Peterson took a position outside a school building and stayed there for more than 45 minutes as the gunman fired dozens of shots. An arrest warrant says Peterson lied to investigators by saying he heard only a couple shots after he arrived at the school building. Seventeen people died in the massacre, one of the worst shootings in US history.
3. Election 2020
Four people were killed yesterday in the northern Australian city of Darwin in what’s being described there as a mass shooting. Of course, an act of violence like this one is (sadly) not exactly shocking news in the United States, but it’s sent shock waves through Australia, which is known for its strict gun control laws. A gunman opened fire with a shotgun in several locations; a man was taken into custody about an hour later. It’s the worst shooting rampage in Australia since gun laws were tightened after a 1996 massacre at a popular tourist spot.
North Korea launched something today, but no one knows just exactly what it was. The North fired at least one unidentified projectile in the western part of the country, South Korea’s military said. The launch took place in a region that’s believed to be home to one of 20 undeclared missile facilities in the North. Just less than a week ago, Pyongyang test-fired several new weapons systems. State media in the North said the launches were part of a “strike drill,” but experts said they think the country was trying out some new short-range ballistic missile – the type that could carry a nuclear warhead.
THURSDAY
Three deaths in five days. That’s the scary stat coming out of a resort in the Dominican Republic. A Pennsylvania woman died May 25 at the Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana. The 41-year-old woman had just checked in and was having a drink from the minibar when she collapsed. Five days later, hotel employees found a Maryland couple dead in their room at the resort. An autopsy showed they had respiratory failure and pulmonary edema, a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs. It’s not clear if there’s any connection between the deaths of the woman and the couple, although all three of the Americans checked into the hotel on the same day.
Obamacare helped bring the nation’s uninsured rate down. But that’s starting to change. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the uninsured rate for people ages 45 to 64 jumped to 10.3% last year. It was 9.3% in 2017. It’s the first time a government study has shown an increase in the rate. The increase isn’t surprising since the Trump administration has made dismantling the Affordable Care Act (and adding restrictions to Medicaid) a top priority. When Obamacare was passed in 2010, the uninsured rate for nonelderly adults was 22.3%.
5. Nigeria
Think you’re doing your body a favor by eating chicken breast instead of steak? Think again. Eating white meat is just as bad for you as eating red beef, at least when it comes to your cholesterol levels, a new study says. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco tested the long-held belief that the generally high saturated fat content of red meat raises LDL (the so-called “bad” cholesterol) levels in the bloodstream. Elevated cholesterol levels increase chances of a stroke or heart attack. What researchers found was there was no difference in the cholesterol levels of study participants after they consumed diets of red and white meat for four weeks each. Still, the researchers say eating white meat may still be better for your heart because there may be other effects from eating red meat that contribute to cardiovascular disease.
TODAY’S NUMBERS
11,000
The number of people evacuated in Alberta, Canada, as wildfires torch through more than 700,000 acres of land
512
The point gain yesterday for the Dow, the second best day for stocks so far this year
THIS JUST IN …
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
We thought TV’s reboot fever had passed. But no, now they’re thinking about bringing back “Punky Brewster.”
‘Someday we’ll find it …’
Still looking for the “Rainbow Connection?” You can find it, again, on the big screen as “The Muppet Movie” returns to theaters for its 40th anniversary.
From Russia with love?
Live in Russia and use Tinder? Just be aware that all those digital love notes will be shared with your boo … and the country’s spy agencies.
Back to school
A homeless man is going back to the University of Texas – after 40 years – to finish his degree. And his tuition will be paid, thanks to a student and an alum.
Don’t believe the hype
Despite some news reports, Jussie Smollett is not coming back to “Empire,” series creator Lee Daniels says.
Icing on the (cup)cake
A trip to Disney World won’t be so expensive for a family of seven after a Minnesota teen baked enough cupcakes to finance the whole vacation.
TODAY’S QUOTE
“I’m the worst driver in the world.”
Actress La La Anthony, who is black and Puerto Rican, on being added to the cast of “BH90210,” a reboot of sorts of “Beverly Hills 90210”
TODAY’S WEATHER
AND FINALLY
Drink up
Some of the oldest people in the world live on the Japanese island of Tokunoshima. What’s their secret? Alcohol, apparently. (Click to view.)