It’s Thursday! Only one day to the weekend, so start making all your fun plans. But first wake up with these news headlines.
1. Terror in Indonesia
In what is becoming a near-daily occurrence in world news, terrorists attacked central Jakarta today, killing at least two civilians as well as themselves for a total of seven dead; 20 more are wounded. The terrorists coordinated the attack using grenades, guns and at least one motorcycle. A spokesman for the Indonesian police said that they had received a warning last November from an ISIS group that something like this might happen. — The New York Times
2. Sneaky
Ted Cruz has been busted for not disclosing a low-interest loan he received from Goldman Sachs to finance his first Senate campaign in 2012. His official story has been that he proposed to cash in their entire net worth to finance the campaign to fund the race, and his wife, who worked at Goldman Sachs, readily agreed. The loans that he took, $750,000 from Goldman Sachs and another from Citibank, totaling $1 million, should have been disclosed in campaign finance reports. Mr. Cruz was campaigning as a populist who would take on Wall Street and criticized big financial institution bailouts. Talk about needing oversight. — The New York Times
3. Three out of…
There are three very happy people in the country this morning: Powerball has announced that three winning tickets were sold for the $1.6 billion drawing last night. Could it be you? Are you in Tennessee, Florida or California? Whoo-hoo! The winning numbers are: 08 27 34 04 19 and Powerball 10. Not you? Me neither. Sob. — Reuters
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4. Major f*&king disruption
An Uber driver refused to take a woman in labor to the hospital after seeing her throw up on the sidewalk. The woman’s husband and birthing coach promised she wouldn’t vomit again (um, how could they promise that? The birthing coach at least should have known better) and swore they would pay for any damage to the car if she did barf again. The driver declined and sped away, charging the family $13 for wasting his time. Another Uber car came to the rescue, and the baby was delivered safely at the hospital. But the couple is pissed. And — bummer for Uber — the husband is a lawyer. — Fortune
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5. A storm forms
A subtropical storm is forming in the Atlantic for the first time in 38 years. Subtropical Storm Alex is in the eastern Atlantic and has sustained winds of 60 mph. It is predicted to affect the Azores in the northeastern Atlantic, with heavy rainfall totaling three to five inches and gale force winds, but it is not expected to affect the United States. Alex is only the fourth such storm to form in January since 1851. In other words, more freaky weather. — CNN
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6. Death in Florence
Italian police have charged a man in the death of Ashley Olsen, an American woman living in Florence, after finding his DNA in her apartment. After the woman’s concerned boyfriend asked law enforcement to break down her door, the cops found her dead. The man is a Senegalese immigrant who entered the country illegally. He and Olsen met at a local bar, went home together and engaged in what appears to be consensual sex. What happened next is anyone’s gruesome guess. Olsen had suffered two skull fractures and strangulation. — NBC News
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