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

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis answers questions from the media.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

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."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Harold Maass, The Week US

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.