Ferguson police want to talk to Michael Brown's stepfather. Another woman accuses Bill Cosby of sexual assault. And an OPEC oil war drives down pump prices.
It's Wednesday, and here are the "5 things to know for your New Day."
1. FERGUSON
Emotional outburst: Did Michael Brown's stepfather incite last week's rioting in Ferguson, Missouri? Police want to talk to him about it. Right after last week's grand jury decision not to file charges against Officer Darren Wilson, video shows that Louis Head turned to demonstrators and shouted "F- the police!" and yelled, "Burn this motherf-er down!" and "Burn this bitch down!" Police say no formal investigation has been opened and no charges have been filed, but they promise to prosecute anyone responsible for the rioting, looting and arson.
2. COSBY LAWSUIT
Latest accuser: Yet another woman has come forward accusing comedian Bill Cosby of sexual assault. Judy Huth filled a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming sexual battery and infliction of emotional distress during an incident at the Playboy Mansion, according to the documents posted by Radar Online. The alleged sexual assault took place in 1974, when Huth was 15 years old. Because four decades have passed since the alleged crime, it wasn't immediately clear if the case falls within the statute of limitations in California for child sex abuse.
3. BAGHDADI FAMILY
Who is she? A woman held by Lebanese authorities is not the wife of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Iraq's Interior Ministry said today, injecting further confusion into an already murky situation. The reported detention of a wife and child of al-Baghdadi has made many wonder who exactly the woman is and what she might know about the terrorist group's inner workings. But the Iraqi ministry, citing a source in an intelligence cell under its authority, said the woman's identity didn't match up with either of the names it has for al-Baghdadi's two wives. Intelligence sources told CNN that the woman's name is Saja al-Dulaimi and that she and the child were detained by Lebanese authorities more than a week ago as they crossed the border from Syria.
4. OPEC OIL WAR
Down, down, down: You've noticed it at the pumps. Gas prices are down, way down since the summer. U.S. oil producers are locked in a production war with OPEC. Experts say OPEC is happy to take short-term losses to make oil exploration unprofitable for them, but so far, it's not working. That's because technological advances in oil extraction like fracking have led to unprecedented U.S. energy production. With those advances, American producers can still make money, even if prices drop another third. The question is: Who will blink first.
5. THE NFL AND RAY RICE
Our bad: A top National Football League official admitted yesterday that the league made a "crucial mistake" in its initial punishment of Ray Rice. Troy Vincent, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, said the league should have acted sooner to punish Rice. Rice was seen in two separate videos assaulting his then-fiancee, now wife, Janay Rice. The NFL initially handed down a two-game suspension for the star, before deciding to rethink the punishment and suspend him indefinitely. "We failed," Vincent told a congressional committee. Domestic violence will be taken more seriously going forward, he promised.
Those are your five biggies for the day. Here are a few others that are brewing and have the Internet buzzing.
- Sax to the max: Longtime Rolling Stones saxophonist Bobby Keys died yesterday. He was 70. Check out some of his best solos.
- Shave it off: What's more fun than a Taylor Swift video? How 'bout a Taylor Swift video parody.
- Body shock: This should lighten your mood as you prepare to fly for the holidays.
- Another one bites the dust: Michigan's Brady Hoke is the latest high-profile college football coach to lose his job, joining Nebraska's Bo Pelini and Florida's Will Muschamp on the sidelines. The Wolverines gave Hoke the boot yesterday after a 5-7 season.
- Pug in the tub: Join Barry for what he likes best - a bath. For this pug, it's nearly a religious experience.
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!
So some parent brought a 15-year old girl to the Playboy Mansion and now, 40 years later and in the midst of all this media-hyped brouhaha, she wants to sue Bill Cosby in a "she said, he said." LMAO For a better perspective, search YouTube for comedian Bill Burr's take using the terms "Bill Burr gold digging."
Funding Homeland Security through March, and all other Government agencies through September is American terrorism. Have we forgotten 9/11? What agency works to protect this country and it's citizens?