5 Things to Know for Your New Day – Thursday, September 19

A kidnapped teen’s ordeal is over, but the investigation seems far from it. Two cold cases warm up. And a government shutdown showdown looms as menacing as a giant crocodile. (You’ll get that last part later.)
It's Thursday, 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. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Markets soar, but doom looms: The markets are at an all-time high. But the world’s largest economy might still grind to a halt. Why? Because lawmakers are battling over money and Obamacare. How many times have we seen this storyline play out? The GOP-led House pushes a plan that the Democrats hate. The Democratic-led Senate counters with a plan the Republicans hate. Threats and filibusters follow, while President Obama waves his veto pen in the air. Stalemate! Remember the debt ceiling brawl of 2011? That one hurt our credit rating. Remember the debt ceiling fight earlier this year? Remember sequestration? Remember… OK, you get the point. It’s happening - again. The money runs out at the end of the month. In exchange for more funding, Republicans are demanding changes. Especially changes to Obamacare. Obama says “No way.” While they kick plans back and forth like a football in Congress, the clock’s ticking.

https://twitter.com/RockreynaJurnal/status/380364610169106432

Jim Acosta and Christine Romans will be live to brief us on the stalemate throughout the show. And Chief National Correspondent John King will be in at 6 to give his perspective.

2. OKLAHOMA BODIES FOUND

Mud, rust and mystery:  It may be years before we learn the IDs of the six bodies found inside two cars buried at the bottom of Foss Lake. But boy, has it got folks in western Oklahoma talking. One woman says her grandfather was in the 1952 Chevy. The man, then 69, was last seen driving his green Chevy with his brother and a friend on April 8, 1969. They all went missing. Others say a group of teens was in the 1969 Camaro. Three teens, who were seen driving in a Camaro in the area, disappeared in 1970. Now, those cold cases are warming up. But we’ll just have to be patient for a good bit longer.

Ed Lavandera has more details at 6.

3. GEORGIA TEEN ABDUCTION

But wait, there’s more:  Ayvani Perez was kidnapped at gunpoint by two men who barged into her family’s home at 2 in the morning, shot the family dog and demanded cash and jewelry. Yesterday, her family rejoiced when Ayvani was found alive. But there’s a wrinkle: a connection between one of the suspects and Ayvani's mom. The two were once arrested together during a drug bust, our friends at WSB-TV say. This twist could mean the kidnapping might not have been as random as cops first thought.

Martin Savidge will be live throughout the show with updates on the search.

4. NAVY YARD ATTACK

No closer to ‘why’:  It's been three days since Aaron Alexis went on a shooting rampage at the Navy Yard in Washington, killing 12. And each new day since has brought new revelations about his past, the attack and the subsequent inquiry. But we still don’t have a motive. Last night, the navy secretary said he’s ordered reviews into security clearances. And earlier yesterday, we learned that Alexis etched messages into his shotgun: "better off this way" and "my elf weapon.” But what do they mean? Even his mother said she didn’t know "why he did what he did, and I'll never be able to ask him why." "Aaron is now in a place where he can no longer do harm to anyone, and for that I am glad," she told us yesterday. And then she apologized to the victims’ families. "I'm so, so very sorry this has happened. My heart is broken. " Here's a recap of the latest developments, meant to bring you up to speed in three minutes.

Pamela Brown is live from Washington throughout the show giving us the latest on the investigation.

5. MEXICO MUDSLIDE

Stranded in paradise:  Manuel, a powerful storm that bulked up to a hurricane, has taken its toll on Acapulco. It’s turned the resort city into a raging river. Flood waters topped cars in some areas. And horrible weather hampered rescues. Some 40,000 tourists are left stranded. As if that weren’t enough, Manuel isn’t the only storm menacing Mexico right now. The country was being pummeled from nearly all sides yesterday by three storms – Manuel, the remnants of Ingrid, and another storm not strong enough to name. There have been at least 80 deaths nationwide.

Shasta Darlington reports from Acapulco at 6 and again at 7.

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

- Oh Miley, what have you wrought?: A historic pendulum at a Michigan college was dismantled because of her. Well, kind of. Grand Valley State University decided to remove the giant pendulum sculpture on its main campus after students tried to re-create Miley’s "Wrecking Ball" music video. You know the one where Miley rides a wrecking ball naked. Now, picture drunk college kids doing that. Yeah, not a pretty sight.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oz5zfa2me4]

- Cha!Ching!:  You were more likely to be struck by lightning or attacked by a shark - maybe even at the same time - than win Wednesday night's Powerball drawing. But then again, you're not Mystery Ticket Holder in Lexington, South Carolina. Millions played, hoping against hope, defying the odds, dreaming the dream of winning the $400 million estimated jackpot. But there was only one winning ticket that hit the jackpot. One that spit in the face of the formidable 1-in-175,223,510 odds. One that drew the winning numbers: 7, 10, 22, 32, 35 and Powerball 19. And it belongs to Mystery Ticket Holder in Lexington, South Carolina. And if you know Mystery Ticket Holder, tell him or her to watch this video.

- This is what it sounds like when dogs cry:  Or maybe she’s just tired of the crappy accordion playing.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eopg6clMTpA&feature=youtu.be]

- Your Thursday morning 'Aww': When 9-year-old Joshua Wade had to undergo an endoscopy, he wanted doctors to treat his stuffed wolf as well. And the doctors at Memorial Hospital for Children in Colorado Springs went above and beyond. Pediatric gastroenterologist Christine Waasdorp Hurtado said the wolf had an inch-long hole in the seam of one of his shoulders. She sewed up the animal while Joshua was going under anesthesia, put a bandage on the wolf's 'intravenous site' and brought him out with a surgical mask and gloves on his paws. "It took me 5 minutes and it made such a huge difference for him," she said.

- What’s that under your bed?: It seems appropriate to end today’s blog with a bedtime story: Once upon a time, a man went to bed in Zimbabwe. He slept soundly through the night, and never thought to check for monsters under his bed. In the morning, he woke up and discovered a 330-POUND GIANT CROCODILE just chilling under his bed. "The really disconcerting thing about the whole episode” he told the Daily Mail, “is the fact that I was sitting on the edge of the bed that morning, bare foot and just centimeters away from the croc." Don’t you just hate it when you wake up to find a crocodile under your bed?

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!