NEWS

5 things you need to know Tuesday

Editors
USA TODAY
Caitlyn Jenner is picturing posing for a portrait in New York to promote her memoir, "The Secrets of My Life."

Caitlyn Jenner memoir hits a bookstore near you

Are you dying to know everything about Caitlyn Jenner’s transformation from man to woman? Well, wait no longer, because Jenner’s new memoir, The Secrets of My Life, is out Tuesday. Written with Buzz Bissinger, who penned the “Call me Cait” article in Vanity Fair magazine that confirmed reports that the former Bruce was transitioning, it promises to uncover many of the details the curious have been mulling for the past few years. One already revealed: Yes, Jenner did have gender reassignment surgery in January of this year.

North Korea stages live-fire drill to mark anniversary of military

North Korea staged what is thought to be its largest live-fire drill Tuesday as it marked the 85th anniversary of the founding of its military, South Korean officials said. It came after China’s President Xi Jinping, in a Sunday-night phone call, urged President Trump to “exercise restraint” over tensions with North Korea. South Korean officials had warned of the possibility that the North would conduct another nuclear test or a first-time intercontinental missile launch Tuesday, which did not happen. Pyongyang increased tensions with the U.S. by detaining a U.S. citizen, Tony Kim, at the capital’s airport on Saturday and Vice President Pence, on an Asian tour that ended Sunday, warned that “the era of strategic patience is over.”

Alibaba's Jack Ma makes good on his promise

Jack Ma, the executive chairman of Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba, will launch a program Tuesday that is expected to give a million U.S. small businesses access to the Chinese market. The initiative plans to integrate the two largest small business markets in the world — China and the U.S. — and was praised by President Trump who has since softened his stance on China's trade practices. Unlike the Amazon model Americans are familiar with, Alibaba does not sell directly to consumers. Instead, it operates marketplaces that connect buyers and sellers.

NatGeo's 'Genius' takes you inside the life of Einstein 

We all know Albert Einstein was a genius, but did you know he was also a violin-playing womanizer who failed university entrance exams? That just one of the many interesting tidbits explored in NatGeo's new scripted series, Genius, premiering Tuesday (9 p.m. ET/PT). Executive produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard (the duo behind A Beautiful Mind), and starring Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Flynn as the elder and younger Einstein, the 10-part series is largely based on Walter Isaacson’s biography Einstein: His Life and Universe, jumping forward and backward in time to tell the tale.

Einstein (Geoffrey Rush) dealt with anti-Semitism as a Jew living in Berlin during the start of World War II.

Flap those flippers! It's World Penguin Day!

All of our favorite flightless friends in Antarctica are flapping their flippers with excitement! Actually, we found out for the first time Tuesday, that there are 12 million penguins living down there at the bottom of the world. The first-ever "State of Antarctic Penguin" report was compiled by penguin expert Ron Naveen, who has had one job for most of the past two decades: "I count penguins," he said.  Why bother? Counting penguins in Antarctica, he says, is one of the best ways to track the impact of climate change and ocean health in the world's most pristine scientific laboratory. Today also marks the theatrical release in New York City of the new Penguin Counters documentary about Naveen and his team.

This is an AdŽlie penguin at Brown Bluff, which is located on the Tabarin Peninsula of northern Antarctica. Antarctica has more than 12 million.

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