It’s World Press Freedom Day. You can celebrate by checking out a wide variety of news outlets – as long as you know we’re so glad you’re here with us. 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. White House
Rudy Giuliani went to the friendly confines of Fox News and Sean Hannity’s show and dropped a bombshell. He said President Trump paid back his personal lawyer the $130,000 used to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels. That completely contradicts Trump’s previous denials of knowledge of the payment. Giuliani said the payment was “perfectly legal” and didn’t break any campaign finance laws because the cash was “funneled ” through a law firm. Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti said he was “stunned” by Giuliani’s claim. The White House said: Talk to the President’s outside attorneys about this.
2. North Korea
The release of three Americans detained in North Korea is “imminent,” CNN’s been told. The North reportedly made the decision to free the Americans – Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak-song and Kim Sang Duk – two months ago. President Trump hinted at movement in the case in a tweet last night. An official at the White House National Security Council said if the men are released, it would be viewed as a gesture of goodwill ahead of the planned summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
3. Abortion
Iowa lawmakers have passed what could be the nation’s most restrictive abortion ban. The measure would stop doctors from performing an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected. That generally happens about six weeks into a pregnancy – and before many women even know they’re expecting. Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, hasn’t said if she’ll sign it – and is “100% pro-life,” her spokeswoman said. If she does, it’d set off a legal fight, which many of the bill’s supporters want. They hope it would go to the Supreme Court and help thwart Roe v. Wade (though the court overturned a similar state law a few years ago).
4. Pope Francis
Pope Francis said he “was part of the problem,” referring to a sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church. That’s according to one of three survivors of clerical sex abuse from Chile who visited with the Pope at the Vatican. The men said the Pope apologized for “grave errors” in his handling of that scandal. Francis had initially discounted the survivors’ testimony against Bishop Juan Barros, whom the survivors say witnessed and covered up abuses in Chile. Barros denies this. The Pope asked the survivors for ideas for dealing with sex abuse in the church. They urged him to turn his words into action against the “networks of abuse” in the church.
5. Starbucks arrest resolutions
The two black men whose arrest at a Philly Starbucks set off protests, boycotts and claims of racial bias have settled with the coffee chain and the city. Terms of the Starbucks agreement weren’t released, but the men will get $1 each from the city and will help Philadelphia with a $200,000 effort to help high school entrepreneurs. The men were arrested last month after they sat down in the coffee shop and didn’t order anything. They said they were waiting for an acquaintance. Starbucks’ CEO apologized, and the men weren’t charged with a crime.
TODAY’S NUMBERS
9
The number of people killed when an aging cargo plane from the Puerto Rico Air National Guard crashed on a highway in Georgia
$3
What the Oil Price Information Service estimates the price of a gallon of regular gas will rise to this month. Price hikes are expected if President Trump imposes new sanctions on Iran. The national average price now is $2.81 a gallon, the highest price since 2014.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
The real MVP
Waffle House hero James Shaw Jr. met his idol on “The Ellen Show” – NBA star Dwyane Wade.
Like father, like daughter
Her police officer father died on 9/11 rescuing people. Now, she’s joining the New York City police academy.
See ya later, fella
Boy Scouts of America is dropping the “boy” part of its name as it preps for the inclusion of girls into its programs.
Lost in translation
French President Emmanuel Macron called the wife of Australia’s Prime Minister “delicious,” and we’re all scrambling for our French-to-English dictionaries.
Fight the power
People in Armenia are taking it to the streets with political protests. A little boy, armed with colorful toy cars, is doing his part.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It’s been a very painful time for a lot of people who worked with Matt, knew him, really care about him. … I was always treated respectfully and appropriately.”
Former “Today” show host Katie Couric, on the sexual harassment claims against her former co-host, Matt Lauer
AND FINALLY …
So fresh, so clean
Believe it or not, the Millennium Falcon was once shiny and new. Let Lando Calrissian – or um, Donald Glover – take you on a tour. (Click to view.)