A look at the stories making headlines today.
Hot Pockets, mismatched chairs and a critical mission: Inside year one of the Mueller investigation
A simple routine for the head of a very complicated investigation — one that is heavily scrutinized but nearly impossible to read. As the Mueller probe hits its one-year anniversary, the special counsel’s team has brought charges against 22 people and companies, notched five guilty pleas and seen one person sentenced.
Meghan Markle’s father recovering after heart surgery
Programming note: No royal wedding invitation? Not to worry. You can stream every moment on your mobile phone, laptop, or wherever you get CNN, starting at 5 a.m. ET on Saturday, May 19. Earlier this week Thomas Markle cited the operation as his reason for not attending the royal wedding on Saturday.
Rex Tillerson just majorly trolled Donald Trump
Speaking to soon-to-be graduates of the Virginia Military Institute on Wednesday, Tillerson dropped this truth bomb: “If our leaders seek to conceal the truth, or we as people become accepting of alternative realities that are no longer grounded in facts, then we as American citizens are on a pathway to relinquishing our freedom.”
This is what Meghan Markle’s high school teacher remembers most about her
“He is so lucky,” says Maria Pollia, a teacher at Immaculate Heart High School. Pollia never forgot about Markle over the decades since she taught her. Which is what made her think the Royal family had snagged such a catch. “I know Meghan.
Police enter home of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, media witnesses say
The reason for police entering the home was not immediately clear. Reuters reported that witnesses saw around a dozen armed police enter Najib’s home after he returned from prayers at a mosque. Bernama reported that 16 police vehicles and a truck were seen entering the residence around 10:15 p.m.
Hamas claims 50 of its members died in Monday’s clashes in Gaza
Salah al-Bardaweel was responding to suggestions from the interviewer that Hamas, the militant group that runs Gaza, was sending other people to die in the protests. “In the last round [of demonstrations] 62 people were martyred; 50 of them are from Hamas and 12 from the people,” al-Bardaweel replied, adding, “I am telling you, these are official numbers.”
Backstreet Boys are back (alright!) with a new single
The group has released a new single, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” from a still-untitled forthcoming album. The song is the group’s first single since 2013. A music video featuring the tune was also released early Thursday. The single and upcoming album have both been long awaited by Backstreet fans.
Antoine Griezmann masterclass guides Atletico Madrid to Europa League title
The Frenchman, who was born just 70 kilometers from the final venue, scored goals either side of half time, before captain Gabi put the icing on the cake with a third late on. Marseille started the game well and were unfortunate to see a Kostas Mitroglou header hit the post in the second half, but the French side were comfortably second best all night.
Ebola outbreak spreads to DR Congo city
The Ebola outbreak in Congo has spread from the countryside into a city, prompting fears that the disease will be increasingly difficult to control. Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga confirmed a case in Mbandaka, a city of a million people about 130km (80 miles) from the area where the first cases were confirmed earlier this month.
Trump discloses ‘Stormy Daniels’ payment
US President Donald Trump has officially disclosed his reimbursement to his lawyer, who paid a porn star to hush up her claims of an affair. The Office of Government Ethics found on Wednesday that Mr Trump ought to have revealed the payment in his previous financial disclosure.
A non-Brit’s guide to the royal wedding
All eyes will be on the UK on 19 May when a member of the Royal Family will marry an American actress. The fairytale wedding has captured the imaginations of royal watchers from Hollywood to Hampshire – but there are some questions a Brit would never think to ask.
Messi leaves SA fan in tears
A South African fan cries tears of joy after Lionel Messi signs his Barcelona shirt.
Media tactics unravel in run-up to big day
Meghan Markle’s family has found itself on the world stage ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry on Saturday. As more doubt is cast on whether her father will attend the ceremony, the Royal Family’s closely-controlled media operation has at times seemed to be unravelling.
Jared Kushner Was ‘Agitated, Infuriated’ At Meeting With Russians Focused On Adoptions
Jared Kushner was apparently not pleased when he attended a 2016 Trump Tower meeting that he expected would provide dirt on then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, according to recently released interviews with the man who arranged the meeting. Members of Donald Trump Sr.’s presidential campaign at the June 2016 meeting in New York City ― including Donald Trump Jr.
Rudy Giuliani Offers A Head-Spinning New Defense Of Trump
Rudy Giuliani says there’s “nothing illegal” about trying to find compromising information about opponents – even if the source is Russia. “When I ran against [the Democrats], they were looking for dirt on me every day,” Giuliani told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Wednesday night, in response to a question about Donald Trump Jr.’s apparent quest to find “dirt” on Hillary Clinton before the 2016 presidential election.
Trump Refers To Immigrants As ‘Animals.’ Again.
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump called on the Department of Justice to prosecute a political opponent and called immigrants “animals” during a roundtable with California leaders on Wednesday. “We’re taking people out of the country. You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are,” he said. “These aren’t people. These are animals.”
Xbox controllers are the best around. Now, Microsoft’s new one lets every gamer play.
Microsoft’s Xbox game controllers are widely heralded as the industry’s best, but they’re ultimately not something everyone can use. Two thumbsticks, a bunch of buttons, and a directional pad are all fine when you have two fully functional hands, but not everyone does.
Loads of delicious cookie dough spilled onto a North Carolina highway
The five-second rule probably doesn’t apply here. An accident caused a delivery truck to dump loads of cookie dough onto a highway on Tuesday. Over 20 rolling carts spread all over Highway 19 in Wilmington, North Carolina. This might be a sweet tooth’s worst nightmare.
Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder reunite and fall in love in ‘Destination Wedding’ trailer
Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder embody the enemies, to friends, to (probably) lovers trope in the first trailer for Destination Wedding, the story of two haters who wind up at a the wedding of their mutual friends and have less than a good time.
Lifetime just released a movie about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in honor of their upcoming wedding
Lifetime premiered their movie about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle just days before the royal wedding. Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance details the couple’s romance from its early stages, starring Parisa Fitz-Henley and Murray Fraser. Fans had a lot to say about the Lifetime rom com on Twitter.
Instagram ‘usage insights’ will show how much time you waste scrolling
Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom has confirmed reports that it is launching “usage insights” for Android. The feature will allow ‘grammers to see “time spent” on Instagram, in an effort to help users to gain an “understanding [of] how time online impacts people.” TechCrunch first reported the new feature, which Systrom confirmed on Twitter.
