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Fresh Intelligence: California Prison Break, Newspapers Back Hillary, and More

Inmates Escape
Orange County sheriff’s deputies investigate after three inmates escape from Central Men’s Jail in Santa Ana. Photo: Kevin Warn/AP/Corbis

Good morning and welcome to Fresh Intelligence, our roundup of the stories, ideas, and memes you’ll be talking about today. In this edition, three inmates are on the lam, Hillary’s on the rise (among newspaper editors), and the Patriots’ tablets are on the fritz. Here’s the rundown for Monday, January 25.

WEATHER
Eastern cities have begun digging themselves out after the weekend’s blizzard. At least 30 people died in the storm, which was the second largest in New York City’s history. Heading into the week, the weather across the country looks mild, with minor thunderstorms expected in the South.

FRONT PAGE
California Manhunt Enters Third Day

The manhunt for the three convicts who escaped the Orange County Central Men’s Jail in Santa Ana, a maximum-security prison, enters its third day today. Corrections officers realized Hossein Nayeri, 37, Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Bac Duong, 43, were missing on Friday night. It appears they escaped that morning by slipping through a hole in the wall, cutting their way through tunnels in the building’s plumbing system, and rappelling down four stories using their bed sheets. The escapees are in prison for violent crimes including murder, attempted murder, torture, and kidnapping. The search spans multiple counties, but so far there have been no confirmed sightings of the men, who are presumed armed and dangerous. [LAT]

EARLY AND OFTEN
Chicago PD Blues
Following a year of lethal shootings and scandals, Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel has tapped retired Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey to advise Chicago’s police department on civil rights and the use of force as it faces a Justice Department investigation. [USA Today]

That’s President Nanny Bloomberg to You
Politicians on both sides of the aisle spent the weekend downplaying and/or mocking the news that former New York mayor and self-described billionaire populist Michael Bloomberg is considering a run for president as an independent.

Trump Lets Someone Else Preach
Donald Trump attended services at a Presbyterian church in Iowa on Sunday and was subjected to some interesting lessons. The Bible reading focused on humility, and the pastor discussed Jesus’s love and acceptance of the most maligned and unfortunate, pointing to Mexican migrants and Syrian refugees specifically. That’s not exactly the message Trump has been preaching on the campaign trail, but he dropped two $50 bills in the collection plate, so maybe the big guy will let that slide. [AP]

Dying Industry Backs Clinton
Multiple newspapers came out in favor of Hillary Clinton over the weekend, including the Des Moines Register, the Concord Monitor, and the Boston Globe. Bernie Sanders dismissed the papers as part of the “media establishment,” which must have been a thrill for the Monitor. [Politico]

THE STREET, THE VALLEY
Twitter Loses Four Characters
There were big shake-ups at Twitter over the weekend as the struggling tech company tries to stay afloat. CEO Jack Dorsey announced that four executives are leaving Twitter and the company will add two new board members and a chief marketing officer soon. Dorsey has publicly said the company needs “bold rethinking” — just what investors like to hear! [Reuters]

East Coast Storm Causes Oil-Market Rebound, So Thank El Niño?
The weekend’s blizzard is being credited for a partial rebound in the oil market, sending prices back up over $30 a barrel and buoying markets from Asia to Europe. [Reuters]

Mom and Pop Just Don’t Understand
A new study from the Journal of Ethics and Entrepreneurship found employees of small businesses — defined as businesses with 50 or fewer employees — are more likely to face abuse from their employers than their counterparts at bigger companies. The abuse can be anything from being forced to work long hours to seriously threatening behavior. [WSJ]

Patriots Blame the Controller
Microsoft faced some serious embarrassment on Sunday when the Surface tablets the Patriots’ coaches use to review plays failed during their AFC championship game against the Broncos. The NFL has been using Surfaces since 2003, when it made a deal with Microsoft worth $400 million. Microsoft said it was a network-connectivity issue, but feel free to blame (or applaud) them for the fact that the Pats won’t be in the Super Bowl. [CNET]

MEDIA BUBBLE
Alleged Rapist James Deen Wins Porn Awards
Porn star James Deen won two coveted Adult Video News Awards at a ceremony in Las Vegas on Saturday. The adult actor is facing multiple accusations of rape and sexual misconduct. Deen won for Best Group Sex Scene and Best Double Penetration Scene. [Jezebel]

Producers Have Guild, Awards Show
Elsewhere in Vegas on Saturday night, something called the Producers Guild Awards took place. Big winners included The Big Short and Game of Thrones. The highlight of the evening was a heartfelt performance by Lady Gaga of “Til It Happens to You,” a song from The Hunting Ground, a documentary exploring campus rape. [E!]

PHOTO OP
Model Snow-Day Behavior
If you live on the East Coast, this Cara Delevingne Instagram pretty much sums up your weekend.

MORNING MEME
The Cruz-Birthers Tried to Warn Us
In this newly unearthed 1988 video, high-school senior and secret Canadian Ted Cruz sums up his ambitions thusly: “Take over the world, you know, world domination, rule everything, [be] rich, powerful, that sort of stuff.” [Mashable]

OTHER LOCAL NEWS
Mouse Detective Sought
Details from a semi-trailer theft in Milwaukee on Friday keep getting better and better. The trailer was full of $70,000 worth of “cheese products,” and while the vehicle has been found, the thieves absconded with the cheese. Wisconsin is exactly how we pictured it. [UPI]

Historical Artifact Defaced
A drunk 71-year-old man from Connecticut crashed into the gazebo that was featured in the 1988 Chevy Chase movie Funny Farm on Friday. Reports do not say how badly the gazebo was damaged, making us fear the worst.

HAPPENING TODAY
Last Chance to Not Watch a Democratic Debate Before Iowa
Last week, CNN announced it would televise a Democratic “town-hall forum” being held in Iowa on Monday night, giving voters one more chance to see Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders go at it before the caucuses next week (it’s not quite a debate, but close enough). The event should be good, since the candidates are tied up in the polls and nothing spices up a town hall like some panic and desperation.

Rubio Will Keep His Boots Dry
While New Yorkers head back to work following was what nearly the city’s worst snowstorm ever, Washington, D.C., will remain shut down on Monday. Schools are closed, most of the Metro is closed, and federal offices are closed. In fact, the House decided to take the whole week off. We’re guessing the country will keep functioning just fine. [WaPo]

Fresh Intelligence: California Prison Break