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. Powerful Storm Bears Down on Northern California
Rain started to fall overnight in Northern California, with hurricane-force winds expected to follow as a major storm is poised to soak the region.
Ahead of the storm, dozens of schools in the San Francisco Bay Area were closed – affecting about 100,000 students.
The storm is expected to be one of the windiest and rainiest in years for the region and could also cause debris slides, especially in areas affected by this year's intense and widespread wildfires.
2. Former Vice President Dick Cheney Says CIA Torture Report Is 'Full of Crap'
Former Vice President Dick Cheney says a declassified Senate report on the controversial post-9/11 CIA interrogation program is "full of crap."
"I think it is a terrible report, deeply flawed," Cheney said on Fox News, his first televised interview since the report's release. "It's a classic example of where politicians get together and throw professionals under the bus."
Cheney said he had not read the entire 6,000-page classified document, drafted by Democrats and their staffs on the Senate Intelligence Committee, or the 500-page declassified and redacted executive summary. But he unequivocally said its findings were flawed and an affront to members of the CIA.
3. Officials Probe Mystery of Teen Burned, Left to Die
Surveillance video that shows a woman at a convenience store gas station less than two hours before she was set on fire and left to die is part of the puzzle authorities were trying to piece together Wednesday about the last hours of the 19-year-old's life.
Authorities were reviewing Jessica Chambers' cellphone records and talking to possible witnesses, who could become suspects, said Jay Hale, an assistant district attorney who prosecutes cases in Panola County. They are trying to figure out what happened to her before she was found barely alive near her burning car Saturday in Mississippi.
Hale said Chambers spoke with firefighters on the scene before she was taken to a Memphis hospital, where she died. Hale said he could not discuss what she said.
"She was able to communicate. It was difficult," Hale said.
4. 'Boyhood,' 'Birdman' to Vie for Golden Globe Noms
Revelers in Hollywood's quickening awards season will be pushed to two sides of the dance floor in today's Golden Globes nominations: drama and comedy.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's way of dividing the movie world in half should result in some extra love for funnier films often edged out by their more serious brethren. Expect the likes of Wes Anderson's "Grand Budapest Hotel," the Disney musical "Into the Woods" and Bill Murray's "St. Vincent" to find room among this season's favorites such as "Boyhood," ''Birdman," ''Selma" and "The Imitation Game."
5. The Oscars Selfie and Other Key Tweets of 2014
Twitter released its round-up of the most influential and popular tweets of 2014, a chance to reflect on a year of celebration and sadness, solemnity and humor.
The year’s most visible tweet, recognized by Twitter as the “Golden Tweet,” occurred during the Oscars telecast in March, when host Ellen DeGeneres posed for a selfie featuring a slew of celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Kevin Spacey, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The tweet has been retweeted 3.3 million times.
Some of the key topics highlighted on Twitter in 2014 involved the World Cup, #BringBackOurGirls in response to kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria, and #BlackLivesMatter – with more than 18 million tweets about unrest in Ferguson, Missouri after Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer in August.
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