10 things you need to know today: July 2, 2015
Greece backs away from bailout deal, the Episcopal church votes to allow religious gay weddings, and more
- 1. Tsipras reverses after suggesting he would accept bailout concessions
- 2. Episcopal church decides to let same-sex couples marry in church
- 3. Hillary Clinton sets fundraising record in campaign's first quarter
- 4. Feds investigate suspected airline fare-price fixing
- 5. Macy's dumps Trump's clothing line over immigration remarks
- 6. Man attacked by shark off North Carolina's Ocracoke Island
- 7. TV Land dumps Dukes of Hazzard over rebel flag on car
- 8. Polygamist applies to legally marry his second wife
- 9. Japan earns spot in women's World Cup final against the U.S.
- 10. "Britain's Schindler" Nicholas Winton dies at age 106
1. Tsipras reverses after suggesting he would accept bailout concessions
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday urged his constituents to reject a bailout deal in a Sunday referendum. His remarks came less than 24 hours after he wrote creditors a letter seeming to agree to financial reforms in exchange for more help. Tsipras said Greece was being "blackmailed." A day earlier, Greece became the first developed economy to default on International Monetary Fund debt. European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted that "Europe wants to help Greece. But cannot help anyone against their own will."
2. Episcopal church decides to let same-sex couples marry in church
Episcopalians voted Wednesday to allow religious weddings for gay couples. Some bishops already permitted priests to officiate in civil wedding ceremonies. The decision was approved overwhelmingly at the Episcopal General Convention in Salt Lake City days after the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples had a constitutional right to marry nationwide. The Rev. Brian Baker of Sacramento said the change came after decades of discussions.
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3. Hillary Clinton sets fundraising record in campaign's first quarter
Hillary Clinton is on track to raise a record $45 million in the first quarter of her presidential campaign, outpacing President Obama's previous high mark of $41.9 million set in the first three months of his re-election campaign. Clinton has raised an average of $555,000 daily since officially launching her campaign for the Democratic nomination in April. Ninety-one percent of Clinton's funds came from donations of $100 or less.
4. Feds investigate suspected airline fare-price fixing
The Justice Department is investigating major airlines on suspicion of colluding to keep fares high, officials with knowledge of the case said Wednesday. A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed that an investigation was underway but declined to name the airlines. Delta, Southwest, American, and United airlines said they were among the carriers being examined. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said consumers were suffering because of "possible misuse" of the big carriers' market power.
5. Macy's dumps Trump's clothing line over immigration remarks
Macy's on Wednesday dropped Donald Trump's clothing line over the real estate magnate and Republican presidential candidate's recent derogatory remarks about Mexican immigrants. He said many were criminals. Macy's said Trump's statements did not "portray an accurate picture" of Mexican immigrants. Trump said he was the one who ended the relationship to defend his principles against pressure critics were aiming at Macy's. Despite the controversy, Trump has shot to second in recent GOP polls.
New York Post The Washington Post
6. Man attacked by shark off North Carolina's Ocracoke Island
A man in his 60s was attacked by a shark off North Carolina on Wednesday. The attack was the seventh in the state this year, and the latest in a string over the last two weeks. The man was swimming just beyond the first breaking waves off of Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks. Witnesses said the six- to seven-foot shark pulled the man under water, biting him in the rib cage, hip, lower leg, and both hands. "There was a big trail of blood from the water to the sand," one witness said.
7. TV Land dumps Dukes of Hazzard over rebel flag on car
TV Land has pulled re-runs of the 1980s show Dukes of Hazzard over the Confederate battle flag emblazoned on the Dodge Charger driven by the Duke boys. A national debate broke out over displaying the controversial flag in public places after a white gunman murdered nine black people in Charleston's historic Emanuel AME Church. Supporters say the flag represents Southern heritage. President Obama, at the funeral of one of the shooting victims, said removing the flag acknowledges that the cause Confederate soldiers fought for — slavery — was wrong.
8. Polygamist applies to legally marry his second wife
Polygamist Nathan Collier, who has appeared on the TLC reality show Sister Wives, announced Wednesday that he had applied for a marriage license with his second wife, Christine, saying he was inspired by last week's Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. The reality TV star and his wives Victoria and Christine applied in Billings, Montana. Collier said he would sue if the application is turned down. "It's about marriage equality," he said. "You can't have this without polygamy."
9. Japan earns spot in women's World Cup final against the U.S.
Japan's women's soccer team beat England 2-1 on Wednesday to advance to the Women's World Cup final against the United States. The winning goal was not scored by one of Japan's players, but by England defender Laura Bassett, who tried to clear a ball but accidentally sent it into the net. Japan, the defending champion, will meet the U.S. on Sunday in a rematch of the 2011 final, which Japan won in a shootout.
10. "Britain's Schindler" Nicholas Winton dies at age 106
Nicholas Winton, a British man who almost single-handedly saved more than 650 Jewish children from the Holocaust, died Wednesday in a hospital near his hometown of Maidenhead, west of London. He was 106. Winton, dubbed "Britain's Schindler" by admirers, overcame bureaucracy at home and abroad and arranged trains to carry children from Nazi-occupied Prague to Britain. He kept his achievements quiet for decades after World War II.
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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
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