5 Things to Know for Your New Day – Friday, September 13

It's Day 2 of Russia and U.S. talks, the Syrian president throws in his two cents, and a New Jersey blaze is undoing some of the repairs after Superstorm Sandy.

It's Friday, and here are the “5 Things to Know for Your New Day."
Every weekday morning around 6, we’ll hit the top five stories of the day, clue you in on a few other buzzy items, and let you know about some of the must-watch stories coming up on CNN’s morning show, “New Day.”

1. SYRIA CIVIL WAR

Talks, talks everywhere:  Today is day two for U.S.-Russian diplomatic talks on Syria.  If you listen, the goals are similar, but the ideas on how to reach them are not.  And tensions abound. Secretary of State John Kerry remained firm yesterday after meeting his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, saying the military strike option is not off the table if Syria does not implement agreements. Lavrov kept his cool, saying “diplomacy likes silence." Tell that to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who threw in his two cents. He says he is willing to place his chemical weapons arsenal under international control, but only if the U.S. cools it with the threats.

We’re all over these crucial talks, and we’ll break down the five things to pay attention to today. Jim Sciutto will be live at 6, 7 and 8 with the latest.

2. #TWITTER IPO

Latest tech hoopla: Twitter is taking its first step toward going public, but keeping details on the deal private. With a simple tweet – what else would it be? – the social media giant announced yesterday that it has filed documents for an initial public offering of stock. Details are scarce because the company took advantage of a federal law to provide its registration privately to U.S. regulators. Investors are all excited about the prospect of public stocks. Is the little blue bird finally coming of age?

But over at Twitter headquarters, it was business as usual after the announcement.

Christine Romans will be live at 6 with the latest details. 

3. JERSEY SHORE

Boardwalk blaze: New Jersey just can’t  seem to catch a break.  Nearly a year after a superstorm swallowed its iconic seaside boardwalk, a fire broke out yesterday at the same location. The raging blaze destroyed dozens of businesses, undoing much of the rebuilding work done after Superstorm Sandy hit in October.  It’s enough to make New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sick. “I feel like I want to throw up,” he says.  “After all the effort and time and resources that we've put in to help the folks … rebuild.”

But there’s a glimmer of good news: there were no reports of injuries.
 

Our team of correspondents will be live at 6, 7 and 8 with the latest from New Jersey.

4. COLORADO FLOODS

Relentless rain:  First came heavy rains, then swirling mountainsides, followed by entire towns cut off.  Now Colorado officials fear a wall of water clogged with debris is cascading toward Boulder.  Sirens shrieked overnight, warning residents along Boulder Creek to evacuate.  Flash floods are blamed for at least three deaths, and officials don’t want any more. “Do not cross Boulder Creek for any reason,” they warned.

George Howell will be live at 6, 7 and 8 with the latest from Colorado.

5. HARRY POTTER SPINOFF

Witches and wizards, rejoice:  J.K. Rowling still has some tricks up her sleeve. The "Harry Potter" author is returning to the world of wizards that made her famous.  Her screenwriting debut will feature a movie centered on one of Potter's textbooks, "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them." It’s about its fictional author, Newt Scamander.

Mark Istook will have more details at 7.

Those are your five biggies for the day. Here are a few others that are brewing and have the Internet buzzing.

Dad dons short shorts: This Utah man will go down in history as best dad, ever.  OK, maybe funniest dad. To show his daughter how, um, not cute she looks in her itty-bitty shorts, Scott Mackintosh cut off his jeans into Daisy Dukes and went out to dinner with his family. Then they went miniature golfing, with him still wearing the waaaayyy too short shorts. Did we mention that his daughter was wearing skimpy shorts, too? She didn't appreciate Dad's stunt, but folks on social media sure did.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pS_hNpYK48]

One giant leap for froggy: We’re still scratching our heads about this one. An itsy-bitsy frog photo-bombed NASA’s  rocket launch last week, giving new meaning to "flying leap." A NASA photo shows the little guy streaking skyward alongside a 90-foot rocket carrying a moon mission from a flight facility in Virginia. No word on whether it croaked, but it sure had a wild ride. NASA says these kinds of things tend not to end well for amphibians.

And the ugly award goes to … : Maybe a mother could love this face.  Maybe not.  But the angry-looking, slimy blobfish was named the world’s ugliest animal and the official mascot of hideous-looking creatures everywhere. Winning is winning, right?  So yay!  Well, at least he wasn’t launched to the moon next to a rocket.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQRV5d8duwg#t=24]

Super kittens v. gangsta pups: Kittens.  Puppies.  Superheroes.  Gangsters.  Slow-motion video.  Enough said.  That’s the only way we can describe this legendary aerial battle between these adorable combatants.  In this case, we’re all winners.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI4VpsicinI]

There you go. All you need to know to get an early start to your morning.
Be sure to tune in to "New Day" from 6 to 9 a.m. ET. Join us at NewDayCNN.com and go and have a GREAT NEW DAY!