Get '5 things' in your inbox If your day doesn't start until you've gotten up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. (CNN)Today is Valentine's Day. If you're single, don't fret. There are lots of ways you can still spread the love around. 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. Border security bill If everything goes according to plan today, a bipartisan border security and spending package bill will be voted on by the House and Senate and then be on President Trump's desk by tonight. The President says he'll sign it (and avert another partial government shutdown), but he's changed his mind at the last minute in the past in these situations, so nothing is really certain until he puts pen to paper. The bill includes $1.375 billion for … [Read more...] about 5 things to know for February 14: Border deal, Paul Manafort, Parkland, Maria Ressa
Australia border security
Fact check: Will President Trump’s border wall stop drug smuggling?
President Trump says that his proposed wall along the Mexico border “will stop much of the drugs from pouring into this country.” We cannot predict the future, but the fact is that most illicit drugs pass undetected through legal ports of entry. Mexican cartels “transport the bulk of their drugs over the Southwest Border through ports of entry (POEs) using passenger vehicles or tractor trailers,” the Drug Enforcement Administration said in a 2015 report. “The drugs are typically secreted in hidden compartments when transported in passenger vehicles or comingled with legitimate goods when transported in tractor trailers.” In an essay published earlier this month, Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, wrote that “a barrier in the form of a wall is increasingly irrelevant to the drug trade as it is now practiced because most of the drugs smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico no longer arrive on the backs of those who cross … [Read more...] about Fact check: Will President Trump’s border wall stop drug smuggling?
5 things to know for December 27: Trump in Iraq, financial markets, Russia, Indonesia, Australia heatwave
Get '5 things' in your inbox If your day doesn't start until you've gotten up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. (CNN)Still planning your vacation for 2019? Borrow some ideas from CNN Travel editors, who run down their best trips of 2018. 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. President Trump When the President's Twitter feed fell silent Wednesday, he wasn't taking a sudden social media sabbatical -- he was on his way to Iraq. The commander in chief, along with the first lady, surprised US troops with a holiday visit, his first to a war zone. After making the secret overnight flight from Washington and touching down onto a pitch-black airstrip (because of security concerns), Trump stayed on the ground for three hours. He took endless … [Read more...] about 5 things to know for December 27: Trump in Iraq, financial markets, Russia, Indonesia, Australia heatwave
Why Brexit could hurt America’s security and help Russia’s
Story highlights Some think the Russian leader has everything to gain Britain will still remain a key player in the NATO alliance (CNN)What happens in Europe doesn't stay in Europe. Brexit's aftershocks are now rumbling through the distant capitals of Moscow and Washington. And the shake-up could be bad for U.S. strategic military interests and good for Russia's. In the run-up to the UK's referendum last Thursday on whether to leave the European Union, Russian President Vladimir Putin denied the accusation -- leveled by no less than British Prime Minister David Cameron -- that he would be happy to see the UK go. But some in Russia, and many around the world, have calculated that anything that erodes a unified Western front and leads to instability in Europe would be a boon for an increasingly aggressive Moscow. Former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul wrote in The Washington Post that, "Putin, of course, did not cause the Brexit vote, but he and his foreign policy … [Read more...] about Why Brexit could hurt America’s security and help Russia’s
Aung San Suu Kyi cancels rare public speech during Australia visit
(CNN)Myanmar's controversial State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has canceled a rare public appearance in Australia due to ill health, where she was expected to face questions from the audience. Suu Kyi was scheduled to give a speech at Sydney's Lowy Institute on Tuesday but the think-tank announced she had been forced to cancel as she was "not feeling well," in a statement Monday afternoon. "Following the speech, the State Counselor was to take questions from the audience," the statement said. Hours after the speech was canceled, Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay told CNN Suu Kyi had felt "jet lagged and a bit weak" but was now fine and spending the afternoon with the Australian Myanmar community. When pressed as to whether the event would be rescheduled, Zaw Htay said in a text: "Schedule is very tight, it's not suitable for her. We're very sorry to cancel it." Read More Suu Kyi was in Sydney on Saturday for the first ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) meeting to … [Read more...] about Aung San Suu Kyi cancels rare public speech during Australia visit