Good morning, and TGIF! Here are some of the stories we're following today:
1. Scotland sticks with U.K. after record vote turnout
It wasn’t a blowout, but Scotland remains a part of the United Kingdom. In a referendum for independence, 55 percent of Scots said “no." A record 85 percent of voters rallied to the polls, as politicians and celebrities on both sides of the issue made their case. “The Scottish people have spoken and it’s a clear result,” U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said after the vote. “They have kept our country of four nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) together, and like millions of other people, I’m delighted.” Read more in NEWS.
2. Obama: ‘Americans are united’ against ISIS
The Senate voted Thursday to give President Obama permission to arm and train Syrian rebel fighters — a day after the House did the same. Now, the commander-in-chief’s battle plan to “degrade and destroy” ISIS moves forward. “The strong bipartisan support in Congress for this new training effort shows the world that Americans are united in confronting the threat from (ISIS), which has slaughtered so many innocent civilians,” Obama said from the White House. The vote obscured the Senate’s typical partisan lines, with opposition both from war-weary Democrats and from Republicans skeptical of Obama’s strategy to address the threat from the Islamic terror group. Read more in POLITICS.
Meanwhile, new video released Thursday showing a British hostage and arrests in Australia are the latest ways ISIS is trying to spread its jihadist terror:
3. Americans love their football — despite scandals: poll
What controversy? An exclusive NBC News/Marist poll finds that nearly 90 percent of Americans will continue watching football even with the spate of domestic violence arrests involving players. Still, the poll shows that 53 percent of Americans and 57 percent of football fans disapprove of the way the NFL has handled the cases. And the survey finds that men are more disapproving of the NFL (55 percent say so) than women (50 percent). As for embattled NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, most people don’t think he should be booted. Read more in SPORTS.
4. Florida horror: Grandfather kills daughter, 6 grandkids
The tiny town of Bell, Florida, is in shock after police say a man fatally shot his 28-year-old daughter and her six children, ages 11 to just 10 weeks. The gunman was identified as convicted felon Don Spirit, 51. He also reportedly took his own life, leaving behind a gruesome crime scene. A motive wasn’t immediately clear, but police say Spirit was no stranger to law enforcement: He previously pleaded guilty to accidentally shooting and killing his 8-year-old son, serving three years in prison. Read more in NEWS.
5. Alibaba expected to conjure $21.8B in giant IPO
Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday at $68 per share. To put its $21.8 billion market value in perspective, that’s bigger than big-name American companies Amazon, Cisco and eBay. Just in case you’re interested in getting in on the ground floor, Alibaba’s ticker symbol will be BABA. Read more in BUSINESS.
6. Long lines form ahead of new iPhone release
Want the new iPhone 6? Get in line. Apple fanatics and gadget geeks are rejoicing as the latest of the company’s phones — two versions of it, actually — go on sale Friday. Customers placed more than 4 million pre-orders for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in the first day of pre-orders, marking a first-day record, Apple said Monday. That’s twice the number of first-day iPhone 5 pre-orders Apple received in 2012. Read more in TECH.
The line outside Apple’s Manhattan flagship store stretched 12 city blocks Friday morning:
… What’s trending today?
U.S. Air Force recruits no longer have to say “so help me God” during their enlistment oath. Here’s why: