5 things to know for January 24: Impeachment, coronavirus, immigration, Iraq, Myanmar

There’s a new rule on Wall Street: Goldman Sachs says it won’t take companies public anymore unless they have at least one woman (or “diverse” member) on their board.

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

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1. Impeachment

You’d be forgiven if yesterday’s impeachment trial proceedings left you with a little bit of déjà vu. On the second day of opening statements, House impeachment managers revisited points they’d already made about why and how they say Donald Trump abused his power as President and why, contrary to Republicans’ defense, Trump doesn’t actually have to have committed a crime to be impeached. It was frustrating and repetitive for some senators, but the House team’s goal was to convince skeptical Republicans to admit new evidence and witnesses during the trial to further probe what they say is overwhelming proof of Trump’s guilt. House managers have roughly 7 hours and 53 minutes left to make their opening arguments, and today they’ll tackle the second article of impeachment: obstruction of Congress. And yes, the trial will likely continue into the weekend, with Trump’s lawyers expected to begin their opening arguments tomorrow, then pick back up Monday. Meantime, President Trump sent 142 tweets and retweets Wednesday during the first day of opening arguments. That’s the most tweets he’s ever sent in a single day as President.

2. Coronavirus 

The Wuhan coronavirus is going to be a serious problem for a while, but the World Health Organization says it’s not yet a public health emergency of international concern. It is an emergency in China, surely, and could become an international one if it continues to spread. Dozens of people have died from the disease, and Beijing and Shanghai have activated their highest level emergency responses, while 10 Chinese cities are under travel restrictions. Medical staff in Wuhan are struggling to cope with the outbreak. On social media, people have claimed that hospitals are turning away the sick due to overcrowding, and feverish patients are packing wards with overtaxed screening and quarantine procedures. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised its travel advisory for Wuhan to its highest level, urging travelers to avoid all nonessential trips to the city.

3. Immigration

Today marks the start of a new Trump administration policy that makes it harder for foreign nationals to practice “birth tourism.” That’s when expectant parents travel to give birth in the US to ensure their children become American citizens. Under the new rules, the State Department will no longer issue temporary visas to visitors found to be traveling with the purpose of birth tourism. That raises the question: How would officials know if someone was coming to the US with that strategy in mind? According to the State Department, you can’t just ask a traveler if they are pregnant, so it’s unclear how the new rule will be implemented. Every year, about 10,000 foreign women who live overseas give birth on US soil, according to the CDC.

4. Iraq

Hundreds of thousands of protesters are marching through Baghdad today to call for an end to US troop presence in Iraq. The “Million Man March,” as it’s being called, was invoked by a powerful Shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, in response to a growing number of rocket attacks in the area stemming from the conflict earlier this month between the US and Iran. Many Iraqis saw the US rocket attack in Baghdad that killed an Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, as a breach of their country’s sovereignty. Iraq’s parliament voted to expel the US military from the country following the attack, but the Trump administration has shown no intention of removing the roughly 5,000 troops stationed there.

5. Myanmar

The United Nations’ top court has ordered the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar to prevent acts of genocide against its persecuted Rohingya minority. Myanmar’s government and military are facing charges of “genocidal acts” against the Muslim minority group, and this ruling acts as a kind of injunction while the larger case gets underway. As part of the order, Myanmar must also preserve evidence that could play a part in the case. So far, the country’s leaders have defended themselves by saying any human rights violations that have occurred don’t necessarily amount to genocide. Human rights groups and a UN fact-finding commission tasked with investigating atrocities in Myanmar disagree. More than 740,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar in 2016 and 2017, and reports from survivors detailed gang rape, mass killings, torture and widespread destruction of property by the country’s military forces.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Longtime PBS NewsHour anchor Jim Lehrer has died

The journalism giant was 85.

The ‘Cats’ movie was so bad it tanked Universal’s earnings

Don’t worry, it will be the kind of cult classic people sing along to in movie theaters 20 years from now.

Authorities warn the TikTok ‘outlet challenge’ could cause fires

Anything called the “outlet challenge” automatically sounds like a bad idea.

Scientists discovered 4 new species of sharks that walk

Ha, no thank you, scientists! Please un-discover them!

Voice of a 3,000-year-old mummy reproduced by 3D-printing a vocal tract

Seriously, scientists. Do you want to scare us or impress us? Because you’re doing both.

TOTAL RECALL

Quiz time! 

Which popular fast food chain filed for bankruptcy this week?

A. Krystal

B. Checkers

C. Jack in the Box

D. Wendy’s

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

TODAY’S QUOTE

“When you open a dollar bill, it reads, ‘This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private.’ Cash ought to command universal acceptance.”

New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres, who is sponsoring a bill to ban cashless stores in the city. Torres says the bill would protect the most vulnerable New Yorkers, such as seniors, homeless people and undocumented residents. Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to sign the bill, which would take effect in several months.

TODAY’S NUMBER

$828 million

That’s how much the grounding of the 737 Max jet cost Southwest Airlines last year. The carrier is seeking compensation from Boeing for the lost profits.

HAPPENING LATER

A first at the March for Life

Donald Trump will become the first president to attend the March for Life when he speaks at the annual anti-abortion march and rally in Washington later today.

TODAY’S WEATHER

AND FINALLY

Experience the rainbow

You’ve almost made it through another tough week. Now, relax your eyes with the luminous colors of the Washington National Cathedral’s stained glass windows, shot in time lapse. Ahhh. (Click here to view.)