5 Things to Know This Morning
5 Things to Know This Morning
— -- Your look at the five biggest and most buzz-worthy stories of the morning.
1. Mysterious Clowns Terrorizing California City
It's like a scene from a horror film.
Residents of a California city are being terrorized by people dressed as clowns, some reportedly wielding machetes or baseball bats, police said.
"There's a natural phobia of clowns," Sgt. Joe Grubbs of the Bakersfield Police Department told ABC News. "And, clearly, if someone is dressed up as a clown and holding a weapon in a threatening manner, that's going to frighten people."
2. Doctor Gives Blood for Ebola-Infected Dallas Nurse
A Dallas nurse who caught Ebola while treating a Liberian patient who died of the disease has received a plasma transfusion donated by a doctor who beat the virus.
Nurse Nina Pham was among about 70 staff members at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital who cared for Thomas Eric Duncan, according to medical records. But after the 26-year-old contracted the disease, she received a plasma donation from Kent Brantly, the first American to return to the U.S. from Liberia to be treated for Ebola. Brantly received an experimental treatment and fought off the virus, and has donated blood for transfusions for three others, including Pham.
3. Deadly Storms Sweep Across Several States
A dangerous storm system punched its way across a large part of the South early Tuesday after killing at least two people earlier in the week as high winds and isolated tornadoes damaged homes, downed trees and left scattered power outages around several states.
The Storm Prediction Center estimated that more than 36 million people were in the path of damaging storms that sprang out of the Midwest earlier in the week and also left several people injured.
Forecasters warned residents of Georgia to brace for a wet and messy commute during the Tuesday morning rush hour, particularly around Atlanta and its suburbs. The meteorologists said tornadoes remained a threat in several areas along with possible flooding in low-lying areas as up to 3 inches of rain were expected in spots. Weather radar showed a vast arcing storm system extending from southern Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida Panhandle early Tuesday.
4. Lessons on N. Korean Stagecraft in Kim's Absence
Even when Kim Jong Un was nowhere to be seen, he was everywhere.
From "Saturday Night Live" spoofs to the wild theories of journalists across the globe trying to parse his five-week absence from the public eye, the 30-ish leader of North Korea captured nearly as many headlines as he did when he threatened to nuke his enemies last year.
The mystery ended Tuesday when Kim appeared in state media, smiling broadly and supporting himself with a cane. While touring the newly built Wisong Scientists Residential District and another new institute in Pyongyang, Kim "took necessary steps with loving care," a dispatch early Tuesday from the official Korean Central News Agency said in typical fawning style. The North didn't say when the visit happened, nor did it address the leader's health.
5. Nate Robinson Made a Ridiculous 30-Foot Turnaround Jumper
The seconds disappeared from the shot clock during the third quarter of Monday’s Nuggets-Bulls preseason game.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 …
Denver center Jusuf Nurkic flipped the ball to guard Nate Robinson, who seemed to be situated miles beyond the three-point line, out of position to take a proper shot. The pass was off-line, drawing Robinson closer to half-court, his back to the basket.
With less than a second left on the shot clock, Robinson gathered the ball and chucked it, a 30-foot turnaround jumper. The ball barely left his hands before the buzzer sounded.
