Police departments have been destroying rape kits

President Trump ... Alabama mall shooting ... asylum protection ... measles ... destroyed rape kits

view in browser update subscription preferences Friday 11.30.18 Major League Soccer's final is set. We have eight days to gear up for Atlanta vs. Portland, right here in our own 5 Things backyard!! Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. By Doug Criss President Trump   President Trump is in Argentina for the G20 summit this morning, but a source tells CNN his mood is "terrible" and he's "spooked and completely distracted." That's not too surprising after the latest Russia investigation bombshell: Michael Cohen pleading guilty to lying to Congress. Cohen, the President's one-time lawyer and "fixer," had originally said talks between himself and Trump about a proposed Trump Tower project in Moscow ended in January 2016, right before the start of primary season. Cohen now admits that was a lie -- and one he told out of a sense of obligation to Trump. The revelations are significant because they appear to show Trump was engaged in business dealings with Russia in the midst of a campaign in which Moscow interfered to help elect him. In response to all this, Trump called Cohen "a weak person." Then, he got on Air Force One and promptly canceled his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20. Trump still has meetings with a half-dozen other world leaders, including important talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping about trade.   Alabama mall shooting   After a week of shifting police narratives, a suspect has been arrested in that shooting at a mall in Alabama. Erron Martez Dequan Brown, 20, was arrested at a relative's house near Atlanta. He faces one count of attempted murder in the Thanksgiving night shooting at a mall near Birmingham during which two people were wounded.  A Hoover city cop working security at the mall that night shot and killed a different man -- 21-year-old Emantic Bradford Jr. Police originally said Bradford was the suspect and had brandished a gun, but then had to walk all that back, prompting accusations of racial profiling. The case has been turned over to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.   Measles   The number of measles cases around the world soared from 2016 to 2017. Measles surged 31% during that year, says a joint report from the World Health Organization and the CDC. Measles outbreaks were reported all over the globe, with an estimated 110,000 deaths in 2017. Health officials blamed gaps in vaccine coverage, fueled by "the spread of falsehoods about the vaccine in Europe," as well as low immunization coverage in Africa, a failing health system in Venezuela and general complacency about the disease elsewhere.   Asylum protection   A Dutch church is holding a service that's been going on continuously for more than a month, all to protect a family from deportation. The Bethel church and community center in The Hague has been helping an Armenian family whose asylum claim has been rejected. But Dutch law prevents police from entering a church while a religious service is taking place. So, hundreds of pastors and volunteers have been holding a 24/7 service -- clocking in at more than 800 hours so far -- to shield the family. A Netherlands church official says talks are going on behind the scenes with the government to resolve the case.   'Destroyed': A CNN investigation   We're using the fifth item in today's newsletter to highlight a sweeping CNN investigation into a largely unknown crisis: police departments destroying rape kits. After a year of #MeToo outrage and stories about the alleged perpetrators of sexual violence, "Destroyed" focuses on the people charged with protecting the public from sex offenders. This exclusive reporting reveals that law enforcement agencies nationwide have trashed rape kits before the statutes of limitations expired in hundreds of sex crimes cases. The destruction of this critical evidence, which potentially contained DNA to solve crimes, followed botched investigations. CNN's Ashley Fantz began digging on this story a few years ago when a police department in Fayetteville, North Carolina, announced it had destroyed more than 330 kits. Nearly 85% of those kits were never DNA-tested. Her questions: Was Fayetteville a one-off? Were other departments destroying rape kits? One former chief of a sex crimes unit answered bluntly: "What CNN discovered is a systemic problem."   Advertisement People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. Best of the blue When she showed up at a Utah police station to fill out a domestic violence report, this officer watched her three kids, including cuddling her infant. All we want for Christmas A laugh track. A cook-off. And Stevie Wonder dropped by! Yes, the John Legend-Chrissy Teigen holiday special has us craving a sitcom.  Fake is in fashion Would you pay hundreds of dollars for Payless shoes? A bunch of social media influencers did, at a fake pop-up store called "Palessi." Do the 'write' thing A 9-year-old Golden State Warriors fan wrote to Stephen Curry about there being no girls sizes for his shoes. The NBA superstar says he's gonna fix that. Special brew More than 1,000 breweries across the country are concocting a special beer to help survivors of California's Camp Fire.   Quiz time China is suspending the scientists that made headlines this week claiming to have produced the first ...? A. cloned dogs B. man-made DNA C. human-animal hybrid D. gene-edited babies Play "Total Recall: The CNN news quiz" to see if you're right. 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."   A Shadow Over Europe CNN's weeklong look at anti-Semitism on the continent ends with the stories of French Jews living in fear amid rising hatred and one peace activist's declaration that Europe's rising anti-Semitism demands a new social contract. 200+ The number of runners disqualified for cheating in a half-marathon in China  Eyes playing tricks on you Feast your eyes on the top optical illusions of 2018. (Click to view.) Advertisement Share Tweet ALL CNN NEWSLETTERS update preferences or unsubscribe CNN Five Things shows up in your inbox every weekday at 6AM ET and Sundays at 9AM ET. 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! Sign up to get updates on your favorite CNN Original Series, special CNN news coverage and other newsletters. Copyright © 2018 Cable News Network, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to CNN's 5 Things newsletter.