Five Things to Know for Your New Day – Wednesday, September 17, 2014
The President will get the latest ISIS battle plan briefing. The Scottish public appears split ahead of tomorrow's independence vote. And NASA signs up Boeing and SpaceX to take astronauts to the International Space Station.
It's Wednesday, and here are the "5 things to know for your New Day."
1. ISIS
A vote and briefing: The House votes today on whether to give President Barack Obama the authority to train and arm Syrian rebels to fight ISIS. The measure is expected to pass, but there are contingents on both the right and the left that aren't comfortable with it. Party leaders are working the phones to keep enough supporters on board. Meanwhile, Obama will be at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, today for a briefing on ISIS battle plans. The U.S. has begun expanding the scope of its airstrikes against the terror group.
2. PENNSYLVANIA MANHUNT
Looking for a suspect: "Armed and dangerous" is how authorities describe the man believed to be behind the ambush of two Pennsylvania State Police troopers. Eric Matthew Frein, 31, is wanted for murder in the killing of one trooper and the wounding of another over the weekend. "He has made statements about wanting to kill law enforcement officers and also to commit mass acts of murder," Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said yesterday. Authorities are offering a $75,000 reward for information leading to the suspect or other suspects.
3. TONY STEWART
Investigation complete: A grand jury will soon get the evidence gathered after Tony Stewart's race car struck and killed another driver in New York last month. The Ontario County Office of Sheriff has finished its investigation into the death of Kevin Ward Jr., who died from his injuries after he was struck by a race car driven by Stewart during a sprint car race in August. The grand jury will decide if Stewart should be indicted on criminal charges in the incident.
4. SCOTLAND VOTE
Yes or no? Public sentiment appears to be evenly split ahead of tomorrow's vote on Scottish independence, polls show. The yes/no referendum question will ask voters, "Should Scotland be an independent country?" In a last-minute gesture, the three main UK party leaders gave a joint promise that Scotland will get extra powers if it opts to stay part of the United Kingdom. Questions about the economy and taxation have been key in the independence debate.
5. NASA SPACE TAXIS
Taking flight: Boeing and SpaceX have been awarded contracts to become NASA's space taxis. Their spaceships will shuttle astronauts to and from the International Space Station, the agency announced yesterday. Since the shuttle program was retired, NASA crewmembers have been hitching rides on Russian Soyuz spacecraft, at a cost of $70 million per seat, a NASA spokeswoman said. The contracts are worth $6.8 billion. Boeing's share is $4.2 billion, and SpaceX will receive $2.6 billion.
Those are your five biggies for the day. Here are a few others that are brewing and have the Internet buzzing.
- Fake fathers: Daredevils disguised as priests BASE jump from a church.
- Epic hotdog eating challenge: A tiny hamster versus Takeru Kobayashi.
- Hail yeah: Who thinks up this stuff? A guy runs around New York City, high-fiving folks trying to hail cabs.
- Well, this is creepy: Listen what happens when this guy makes a coyote call.
- On the nose: A butterfly pays a visit to a concert flutist.
There you go. All you need to know to get an early start to your morning.
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Allegations that Hillary Clinton allies may have tried to shield the former secretary of State in the wake of the Benghazi terror attack are coming to the forefront ahead of the first public hearing of the special congressional committee probing the attack and its aftermath.
I love the "high-five" guy.
When is CNN going to report that Obama is sending in 3000 young American soldiers to Africa's Ebola epicenter?
Hi, Don,
Here's the latest report on Pres. Obama's plans to address the #Ebola crisis:
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/16/health/obama-ebola/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews
Thank you for choosing CNN and Happy #NewDay!
Heavenly fathers daredevils!!!!!!!! Enjoyed the responses of the high fivers. It's wonderful when people are nice to one another. It makes my day much happier and brighter. The butterfly was drawn to the flutist's lilting, mesmerizing music and appeared at times to be fluttering it's wings in rhythm. But then the flutist swatted it and looked down at the floor. R.I.P.
Thank you David! Now get to Work!
If you read this, just know that somewhere on this planet, someone, me, took the time to wish you a great day. Go thrive and be nice to people; you will sleep better...