10 things you need to know today:July 27, 2015

1. Turkey and U.S. agree to clear ISIS from northern Syria border zone

Turkey and the United States have tentatively agreed on establishing a 60-mile long ISIS-free safe zone in Syria along the Turkish border, U.S. and Turkish officials said Sunday. The agreement is part of a deal that will help the U.S. military step up the air war it is leading against Islamic State fighters in northern Syria. The first hint of the pact emerged last week, when Turkey said it would let U.S. war planes and drones use two Turkish bases to launch strikes.

The Washington Post

2. Chinese stocks plummet

Chinese stocks dropped by more than 8 percent on Monday as a government effort to prop up the country's volatile markets wore off. It was the steepest fall since 2007 for China's major indexes. Stocks in China began falling in mid-June, but had been relatively stable for three weeks after Beijing launched its efforts to support the markets. Before the slump began, the same indexes had doubled in a year. The decline fueled fears about the health of the world's second largest economy.

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Reuters

3. Boy Scouts to end blanket ban on gay leaders

The Boy Scouts of America reportedly plans to end its ban on gay scout leaders on Monday. However, the organization also plans to let religious groups that sponsor Cub Scout packs and Scout troops, such as the Mormon and Roman Catholic churches, follow their own guidelines.

The New York Times

4. Obama talks security with Ethiopian prime minister

President Obama met Monday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on the second leg of his Africa trip. Obama, the first sitting U.S. president to visit Ethiopia, is focusing on business ties, human rights, and the threat of the Islamist militant group al Shabaab in Somalia. Before leaving his father's homeland of Kenya on Sunday, Obama called on Kenyans to fight corruption, and for nations across Africa to reject the treatment of women as "second-class citizens."

Reuters CNN

5. Republicans slam Ted Cruz for attacks on Mitch McConnell

Numerous Republican senators criticized Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Sunday for his recent attacks against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The show of unity came in a rare Sunday Senate session following a Friday floor speech in which Cruz, one of 16 Republicans vying for the party's 2016 presidential nomination, said McConnell had lied about cutting a deal to revive the federal Export-Import Bank, which the Senate approved Sunday. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said such "squabbling and sanctimony" were OK on the campaign trail but not in the Senate.

The Washington Post

6. Teva agrees to buy Allergan unit for $40.5 billion, creating generics giant

Teva, the world's top generic drug company, agreed to buy its No. 3 rival, Allergan Generics, for $40.5 billion in cash and stock. Teva, based in Israel, said both companies' boards have unanimously approved the deal for U.S.-based Allergan's generic drug unit. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016. In announcing the Allergan deal, Teva said that it has dropped its $40 billion bid for Mylan, its No. 4 global competitor. If completed, the deal will not just increase Teva's share of the generics market — already 12 percent — it will also give the Israeli drugmaker greater annual revenue than many better-known name-brand pharmaceutical companies.

The Wall Street Journal Reuters

7. Cosby accusers unite on New York magazine cover

Thirty-five of the 46 women who have accused Bill Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them appeared on a New York magazine cover released Sunday. In the corresponding story, the women recounted their stories, many strikingly similar, and said they hoped to help the fight against rape by speaking out. An attorney for the embattled comedian defended him, saying, "The sheer volume or number of people who are saying a particular thing does not make it true."

New York E! Online

8. Trump leads new GOP poll

Real estate magnate Donald Trump led the 2016 Republican presidential field in another poll released Sunday. Trump received the support of 18 percent of Republicans polled by CNN, edging out former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who had 15 percent. The poll was done after Trump's controversial criticism of the war record of the party's 2008 nominee, Sen. John McCain. "There is a movement going on," Trump said. "This is more than me."

CNN Reuters

9. Chris Froome wins second Tour de France

Team Sky British cyclist Chris Froome won his second Tour de France in three years Sunday. Sprinter Andre Greipel won the 21st and final stage on Paris' Champs-Elysees. Rain had forced officials to call the race before the 10 laps on the storied avenue, so Froome, his victory assured, was free to finish far back, linking arms with his teammates. Movistar teammates Nairo Quintana of Colombia and Alejandro Valverde of Spain finished second and third.

CNN

10. Bobbi Kristina Brown dies at 22

Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of singers Bobby Brown and the late Whitney Houston, died in an Atlanta-area hospice on Sunday. She was 22. Brown never regained consciousness after being found unresponsive in a bathtub at her home nearly five months ago. She had suffered irreversible brain damage. "She is finally at peace in the arms of God," her family said in a statement. "We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months."

NBC News