What to Know
- President-elect Donald Trump will meet with a number of GOP officials and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today in Manhattan
- Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who pushed for a federal Muslim registry, is now a top member of Trump's transition team
- Two men are being questioned in the disappearance of a 26-year-old Hofstra grad whose body was found buried in New Jersey
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Trump Meets With GOP, Japan’s PM
President-elect Donald Trump plans to meet Thursday with an assortment of GOP officials in New York City. Among them are former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling. Haley is a possible contender for secretary of state. The meetings come as Trump continues to speak with potential cabinet members. Trump is also supposed to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe – his first get-together with a world leader as president-elect. Trump stayed out of the public eye Wednesday, meeting with a stream of visitors at Trump Tower, including Mayor de Blasio. He also took to Twitter to dispute reports of internal tension in his transition team. It’s going “so smoothly,” he tweeted.”
Federal Muslim Registry?
The man who pushed to create a federal Muslim registry in the name of national security now has Donald Trump's ear as a top member of his transition team, NBC News reported. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says he has a plan to help Trump pull off some of his most contentious campaign promises, including potentially creating a federal database of Muslims in the U.S. in the name of national security.
2 Questioned in Hofstra Grad’s Death
Local
Authorities believe that a missing Hofstra graduate from Stamford, Connecticut, was stabbed to death in a fight at a party in a luxury Manhattan apartment and then buried in a shallow grave in New Jersey, police sources say. Two men who were questioned at an NYPD stationhouse on Wednesday were still in police custody at the 13th precinct Thursday morning. Police said one of the men is considered a suspect in the case and is being "extremely uncooperative." He has not been charged with a crime.
Pluto’s Hidden Ocean
Pluto might have a giant ocean deep below its surface. Scientists said Wednesday that Pluto may have rolled over on its axis eons ago, the result of tidal forces with jumbo moon Charon. The extra weight of an underground sea is the most likely explanation, they said. The lead author of the study suspects the ocean is primarily water with some ammonia or other "antifreeze" thrown in. Slow refreezing of this ocean would conceivably crack the planet's shell — a scenario consistent with photos taken by NASA's New Horizons, which made an unprecedented flyby of Pluto last year.
Insulin Prices Skyrocket
The National Average Drug Acquisition Cost database shows that insulin prices have roughly doubled since 2012. Many diabetic patients blame price gouging by drug companies, which are left largely unchecked by government regulations. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 19 million Americans don’t take their medication as prescribed because of the cost.
Baby Monkey Video Goes Viral
Everyone’s talking about this baby monkey who has been riding around on goats in China. The farm owner said that the monkey felt more secure on the backs of the goats.
Metallica on Fallon
Metallica joined Jimmy Fallon and The Roots in the Tonight Show Music Room to perform "Enter Sandman" with children’s instruments. It was pretty catchy.
