5 things to know for January 17: Impeachment, Iran, China, food stamps, gun rally

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, passed the $1 trillion mark on Wall Street, joining Apple and Microsoft at the tippy top of the market. (Also, we may not have $1 trillion, but we do have a long weekend. 5 Things is off Monday, but we’ll be back in your inbox Tuesday morning!)

Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.

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1. Impeachment

While the Senate officially kicked off the impeachment trial of President Trump (actual arguments start Tuesday), a few huge revelations dropped directly in its lap. First, the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan watchdog, released a report that concluded the Trump administration broke the law when it withheld US security aid to Ukraine last year. There reportedly won’t be any criminal penalties from the ruling, but it certainly will add fuel to Democrats’ push for fresh evidence at the impeachment trial. Meantime, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry announced police there are opening a criminal investigation into what may have been surveillance of former US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. Text messages from Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas included in that big evidence release this week seem to suggest Yovanovitch was being monitored in Kiev, Ukraine’s capital. Yovanovitch has faced repeated public attacks from President Trump and testified publicly last year in the House’s impeachment probe.

2. Iran 

Eleven American service members were injured in last week’s Iranian missile attack on al-Asad air base in Iraq, a US military official told CNN, despite the Pentagon initially saying there were no casualties. (In case you didn’t know, “casualties” doesn’t always mean deaths but also military personnel wounded.) Some service members were flown to Germany to be treated and assessed, the US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria said. In other news out of Iran, the country’s President, Hassan Rouhani, claimed Iran is enriching more uranium and its nuclear industry is thriving more now than before it signed the multinational nuclear deal in 2015. Rouhani didn’t talk specifics, but it’s not an easy thing to hear as a trio of remaining powers in the deal — Germany, France and the UK — scramble to keep it from unraveling after the recent spate of aggression between Iran and the US.

3. China

China released its GDP (gross domestic product) figures for 2019 and … they’re not good. The world’s second-largest economy grew last year at its slowest pace in nearly three decades. This wasn’t totally unexpected, since China is dealing with rising debt, changing global demand and, of course, a damaging trade war with the US. The US-China trade deal signed this week has raised the country’s economic hopes a bit, but there are still other challenges to face. Some Chinese government officials worry that any big rise in unemployment could trigger social unrest or even riots. To keep that from happening, the government has been pumping the economy with stimulus measures like tariff reductions and rate cuts.

4. Food stamps

Fourteen states, plus New York City and the District of Columbia, are suing the US Department of Agriculture over regulations that will require more food stamp recipients to work in order to receive benefits. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, already requires working-age adults without dependents or disabilities to consistently hold a job to benefit from the program. But states can waive the work requirement in areas where there’s high unemployment or few jobs. These new regulations would put an end to that option and could result in 688,000 people losing aid when the policy takes effect in April. The administration argues these regulations keep people from becoming dependent in the long term. Attorneys general in states represented in the suit called the proposed policy “heartless” and “cruel to its core.”

5. Virginia gun rally

A big gun rights rally is set for Monday in Virginia, and people are bracing for possible problems. Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, declared a temporary state of emergency from this evening until Tuesday. He also banned all firearms and other weapons from Capitol grounds, a move that was upheld by a state judge after event organizers pushed back, saying the ban restricted their rights. Much of the concern here isn’t about the guns. It’s about the extremists the event is likely to attract. Northam said state intelligence officials identified threats and rhetoric used by violent groups and white nationalists in conversations about the event. In fact, the FBI arrested three alleged white supremacists yesterday for firearms and immigration-related offenses, and found out the trio was planning to attend the rally.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

The world’s largest Snickers bar is the size of 43,000 regular-sized Snickers bars put together 

Which raises the age-old question: Would you rather fight one giant Snickers bar or 43,000 regular-sized Snickers bars?

Demi Lovato will sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl 

May the vibrato be always in your favor, Demi.

Some want Big Ben to bong when the UK officially leaves the EU at the end of the month 

UK PM Boris Johnson even said he wants to start a campaign to “bung a bob for a Big Ben bong.”

An Irish island is seeking a couple to become its sole caretakers and residents 

So, you’ll either be walking directly into a romance novel or a horror movie.

Your Fitbit could help health officials predict flu outbreaks in real time 

Your Fitbit’s a snitch. 

TOTAL RECALL

Quiz time! 

Fans of this rock band are furious that it was not included in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s list of 2020 inductees.

A. Queen

B. Dave Matthews Band

C. Phish

D. Hootie & the Blowfish

Play “Total Recall,” CNN’s weekly news quiz, to see if you’re right.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“The time comes when, heck, you have to give it up. I guess your body tells you when it’s time to go.”

Bob Vollmer, who at 102 years old is Indiana’s oldest state worker. After 60 years with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the World War II veteran has decided to take his well-deserved retirement.

TODAY’S NUMBER

1 in 5 

That’s how many deaths worldwide are related to sepsis. That’s a much higher figure than previously estimated. Sepsis is a very dangerous complication of bacterial infection. It can be a big problem in areas with underdeveloped medical care and is also the leading cause of in-hospital deaths in the US.

HAPPENING LATER

Icy roads ahead 

A strong winter storm is brewing today and could bring treacherous snow, freezing rain and sleet from Oklahoma to Maine. If you’re in the Upper Midwest, you’ll definitely want to keep an eye on the weather today, and the storm will continue to spread out and affect the Northeast tomorrow.

AND FINALLY

That Academy Award-nominated feeling

Vicariously bask in the joy of the small animation studio behind the Netflix movie, “Klaus,” as they find out they nabbed an Oscar nom. (Click here to view.)