(CNN) Good morning. There's a lot going on, so let's get straight to what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door . (You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here .)

1. Puerto Rico

Apocalyptic. Catastrophic. Strong adjectives to be sure, but people on the ground in Puerto Rico say even those words don't adequately describe the scale of the devastation that Hurricane Maria brought to the US commonwealth. Scores of buildings are destroyed, power is out in most places, communications are almost nonexistent. And now a busted dam threatens more flooding

Puerto Rico's governor is urging Congress to OK an aid package as soon as possible. He's also reminding us of something we should already know -- Puerto Ricans are Americans, too, and deserve help. Critics say President Trump hasn't done enough (and is spending too much time tweeting about football protests instead of the island's plight), but the White House says the administration's response has been anything but slow . Planes and ships loaded with food, water and generators are on the island or headed that way.

And Maria's not done yet. The storm's churning away in the Atlantic, bringing high winds and pounding surf to the US East Coast, especially North Carolina. The storm is due to weaken into a tropical storm tonight and continue to move away from the southeast coast of the United States.

2. NFL protests

The NFL continued its defiance of President Trump's criticism of those who protest during the National Anthem. Ahead of the "Monday Night Football" game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Dallas players knelt before the anthem -- prompting boos from the crowd -- then stood and locked arms as the anthem played. Cardinals players stood and locked arms, too. Jones' participation was noteworthy because he's criticized such displays in the past.

Trump continued to lob on criticism, tweeting about what he called the "tremendous backlash" against the NFL and its players over the protests, dubbed #TakeAKnee on social media. Some NFL fans are burning their jerseys ; a restaurant in Louisiana won't show NFL games anymore; and Buffalo Bills employee quit his job. Now, the jersey of Alejandro Villanueva -- the ex-Army Ranger and lone Pittsburgh Steelers player who came out of the locker room and stood for the anthem -- is the top seller in the NFL.

JUST WATCHED #TakeAKnee heats up on and off the field Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH #TakeAKnee heats up on and off the field 02:26

3. Health care bill

Now, talk has begun of possibly tacking on an Obamacare repeal bill in 2018 to tax reform legislation, but the prospect of taking on those two heavy lifts at the same time seems like a horrible idea to some GOP lawmakers.

JUST WATCHED Watch highlights from CNN's health care debate Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Watch highlights from CNN's health care debate 02:26

4. North Korea

JUST WATCHED White House denies declaring war on N. Korea Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH White House denies declaring war on N. Korea 02:40

5. Pope Francis

Several dozen conservative Catholic scholars and clergy accused Pope Francis of spreading heresy . No one's done anything like this for quite a while -- like, not since 1333. In a letter, the group claims Francis is "misleading the flock" with his openness to allowing some divorced and remarried Catholics to receive holy communion , among other concerns. But Catholic observers don't think this brouhaha will go anywhere. Many of the letter's signees are part of a traditionalist group that's already broken away from the church. But it does highlight the anxieties some of the church's more conservatives members are feeling about Francis' tenure.

JUST WATCHED Can the pope ever be wrong? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Can the pope ever be wrong? 01:48

BREAKFAST BROWSE

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Cheaper to open up a science book

Rapper B.o.B wants to launch satellites into space to prove that the Earth is flat (no, really), so of course he's launched a GoFundMe campaign to do it.

JUST WATCHED Neil deGrasse Tyson rips rapper B.o.B. Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Neil deGrasse Tyson rips rapper B.o.B. 01:03

We want to feel weird, too

PGA golfer Justin Thomas won $10 million this weekend for his domination this season on the links. So, why on earth does he feel "weird" about it?

Kind of like Disney

No need to go to Venice to experience Venice. Soon, you'll be able to enjoy the Italian city's beautiful canals and gondolas in Dubai

Photos: Dubai to build Floating Venice -- with underwater deck The Floating Venice: Dubai's Dubai's The Floating Venice is planned for The World development, an artificial island archipelago four kilometers offshore in the Persian Gulf. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Dubai to build Floating Venice -- with underwater deck Venice of the Middle East: The resort is designed to bring the spirit of Venice to the Middle East -- staging Dubai versions of traditional festivals such as Carnivale di Venezia. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Dubai to build Floating Venice -- with underwater deck La Serenissima: The replica of the celebrated Italian city will have a luxury sub-aquatic twist. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Dubai to build Floating Venice -- with underwater deck The Floating Venice lobby: It will be split over four decks -- one of which will be submerged under the sea and feature an underwater lobby, bedrooms and restaurants -- all offering spectacular views of marine life. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Dubai to build Floating Venice -- with underwater deck Fine dining: The resort will have 12 restaurants and bars, three of which will be underwater. Some of the resort's pools will have acrylic bases, offering views of the coral reefs below. Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Dubai to build Floating Venice -- with underwater deck Big boat: The resort will technically be classified as a boat -- and developers aim to use the same technology as the Floating Seahorse, Dubai's underwater living experience. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Dubai to build Floating Venice -- with underwater deck Opening in 2020: The resort is scheduled for completion in 2020 -- if plans are approved and building gets underway in 2018. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Dubai to build Floating Venice -- with underwater deck "Our aim is to enhance the landscape of real estate and hospitality and deliver a new iconic experience," says Josef Kleindienst, chairman of developers Kleindienst, in a statement. Hide Caption 8 of 8

Flight films

Netflix wants to make it easier for us to binge-watch its shows and movies on planes because obviously the billions of hours we spend watching them now aren't quite enough.

Megyn's makeover

Megyn Kelly's post-Fox News life continued with the launch of her daytime talk show on NBC, and it was, well, more than a little awkward.

JUST WATCHED Megyn Kelly debuts NBC morning show Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Megyn Kelly debuts NBC morning show 01:29

NUMBER OF THE DAY

$11 per hour

That's the new minimum wage for Target employees . And the retailer says by 2020, it'll raise it to $15 an hour.

AND FINALLY ...

Night moves

Stuck at the airport all night long? Then you'll have nothing better to do than grab some airport workers and make a music video to a Lionel Richie '80s classic. ( Click to view

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said the Dallas Cowboys players and owner Jerry Jones took a knee during the anthem at Monday's NFL game. The Cowboys knelt before the National Anthem, then stood and locked arms while the anthem was played.