A tragic night on a Missouri lake

Missouri tourist boat tragedy ... Trump and Putin ... Brexit ... Disney vs. Comcast ... NFL and the national anthem

view in browser Friday 7.20.18 Which state leads the nation in volunteering? A new survey says you'll find a lot of volunteers in the Beehive State. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. By Doug Criss Missouri tourist boat tragedy   At least 11 people died after a tourist boat overturned and sank in a lake near Branson, Missouri, during a thunderstorm. Some of the dead are children. Six people are still missing after the capsizing on Table Rock Lake. The duck boat was an amphibious vessel that travels on both land and water. These boats are popular in tourist destinations such as Branson.  Trump and Putin, the sequel President Donald Trump and the White House have been in damage control mode since he left that podium in Helsinki, Finland, after that disastrous post-summit news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. So a lot of people are scratching their heads about Trump inviting Putin to the White House this fall, especially after Trump said he agreed with US intelligence agencies that Putin ordered the election-related cyberattacks during the 2016 presidential election. It seems the President is doubling down on his Russia strategy, even as he continues to weather intense, bipartisan criticism over it.  And news of a second possible meeting between the two world leaders comes as people are still trying to figure out what happened in that first private, two-hours-plus discussion in Finland. The Russians are saying Trump and Putin reached military agreements during the meeting. If that's true, the Pentagon doesn't seem to know about them. Neither does Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats who, by the way, found out about Putin's Washington invite from a reporter -- on live TV. Ouch. Brexit   One of the thorniest issues in separating the UK from the European Union is the issue of the Irish border. That dispute will be in full public view this morning. In a speech in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to say that the British won't accept the EU's so-called backstop plan, in which Northern Ireland would remain closely tied to European regulations after Britain leaves the bloc, in the event the two sides fail to reach an agreement on a future relationship.  The backstop plan seeks to avoid a "hard" border between Northern Ireland, which will leave the EU as part of the UK, and the Republic of Ireland, which remains in the bloc. Border infrastructure such as customs and security posts were removed as part of the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland in the late 1990s. But if the backstop plan is implemented, it would effectively create a border down the Irish Sea between the island of Ireland and Great Britain. May says that's unacceptable and instead proposes that any backstop plan should apply to the entire UK. Disney vs. Comcast   Comcast threw in the towel in its battle with Disney over the assets of 21st Century Fox. Comcast had bid $65 billion for Fox's movie studio, along with Fox's regional sports networks and cable channels such as FX and National Geographic. Disney had bid $71 billion. But the war between the two companies isn't over; only the battlefield is changing. The next front in the fight is UK broadcaster Sky News. Comcast says it will still pursue a purchase of Sky, even though Disney -- through 21st Century Fox -- wants it, too.  NFL and the National Anthem   The NFL is putting its National Anthem policy on hold for now. The league and its players' union said they've reached a "standstill agreement" to give the two sides more time to talk about what should happen if players protest social injustice and police brutality during the National Anthem. "No new rules relating to the anthem will be issued or enforced for the next several weeks while these confidential discussions are ongoing," an NFL statement says. In May, NFL owners OK'd the policy, which requires players to "stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem." ADVERTISEMENT People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. Free for all You can get free fries every Friday for the rest of the year at McDonald's -- Fry Fridays? -- but, as in all good things, there's a catch. The Boss on Broadway Can't get tickets to see Bruce Springsteen's Tony-winning, one-man show? Don't fret. Starting in December you can watch it all on Netflix. Medical miracle Someone donated $3 million to the University of Houston's new medical school, enough cash to cover the tuition of the school's first 30 students. Helping hands Starbucks is about to open a new branch in Washington where every single employee is proficient in sign language.  Quiz time World Cup 2018 has come to an end. Which country took home the trophy? A. England B. France C. Croatia D. Russia Play Total Recall: The CNN news quiz and see if your answer is correct. And don't forget you can also find a version of the quiz on your Amazon devices! Just say, "Alexa, ask CNN for a quiz."  (Editor's note: He's too modest to make a big deal about it, but today is Doug's birthday. So, we're hijacking his video of the day and replacing it with this epic birthday song. Feel free to bombard him with your own good wishes at douglas.criss@cnn.com -- Saeed!) Share Tweet ALL CNN NEWSLETTERS CNN Five Things shows up in your inbox at 6 a.m. ET every weekday and at 9 a.m. ET on Sundays. Like what you see? Don't like what you see? Let us know. We're all about self-improvement. Did a friend forward you this newsletter? Sign yourself up! 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