10 things you need to know today: August 7, 2015

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1. Donald Trump and Jeb Bush get most attention in prime-time GOP debate
2. Jon Stewart signs off
3. Chuck Schumer says he will vote against Iran nuclear deal
4. Cyberattack targets Joint Chiefs' email system
5. Alabama becomes third state to defund Planned Parenthood
6. Fiorina stands out in presidential debate for low-polling GOP candidates
7. Typhoon Soudelor churns toward Taiwan
8. Experts forecast another solid jobs report
9. North Korea creates its own time zone
10. Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux get married

published 7 August 2015

1. Donald Trump and Jeb Bush get most attention in prime-time GOP debate

Donald Trump got the most attention in the 2016 campaign's first Republican prime-time presidential debate on Thursday, clashing with both moderators and rival candidates. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) slammed Trump for refusing to rule out an independent bid for the White House if he fails to win the GOP nomination. "He's already hedging his bets because he's used to buying politicians of all stripes," Paul said. With 10 candidates on stage, Trump got the most speaking time — 10 and a half minutes, followed by Jeb Bush with less than nine.

Jon Stewart said good-bye after taping his final episode of The Daily Show on Thursday. Stewart took over the Comedy Central fake news show 16 years ago, and turned it into essential viewing for politically engaged viewers. Before signing off, he called for continued skewering of society and its leaders for hypocrisy, dishonesty, and foolishness. "The best defense against (expletive) is vigilance," he said. "If you smell something, say something."

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Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Thursday he would oppose the Iran nuclear deal. The loss of the support of the most influential Jewish voice in Congress hits President Obama just as he launches a campaign to win support from lawmakers before they begin debate on the proposal in September. Schumer's opposition could offer cover for other wavering Democrats to join Republicans in trying to block the deal, which would lift sanctions in exchange for curbs on Tehran's nuclear program.

U.S. officials said Thursday that they believed Russia was behind the hacking of an unclassified Pentagon email system used by the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The attack, which occurred around July 25, resulted in the shutting down of the system for almost two weeks. Military officials said the sophistication of the cyberattack, in which an automated system to rapidly gather data and distribute it to thousands of accounts, suggested a link with a nation, most likely Russia or China.

Alabama on Thursday became the third state to defund Planned Parenthood. The office of Gov. Robert Bentley, a two-term Republican, released a statement saying that the Alabama Medicaid Agency would end its contract with Planned Parenthood as a provider. Louisiana and New Hampshire also ended relationships with the women's health organization this week after an anti-abortion group released secretly recorded videos showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the cost of getting fetal tissue for medical research.

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina was widely praised as the winner of Thursday's "happy hour" Republican presidential debate, which involved seven low-polling candidates excluded from the party's prime-time debate. Fiorina won applause for her comments on Iran and illegal immigration, and for criticizing everyone from Hillary Clinton to GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. "We need a nominee who is going to throw every punch, not pull punches, and someone who cannot stumble before he even gets in the ring," she said.

Taiwan braced Friday for the arrival of Typhoon Soudelor, which is expected to deliver the island a direct hit on Saturday. The storm threatens to be the strongest to hit Taiwan in two years. It has weakened in the last day, but still has top sustained winds of 107 miles per hour, with gusts up to 130 mph. Hundreds of people have been evacuated, mostly from east coast areas. The storm has already claimed its first lives, with three people dead and one missing in rough waters along the northeastern coast.

Economists expect the jobs report being released Friday to show that U.S. employers added 225,000 jobs in July. That would match June's solid 223,000 gain, signaling further strengthening of the economy. The monthly average over the past year has been 244,583. Anything over 200,000 is expected to increase support at the Federal Reserve for its first interest-rate hike since late 2008. The Fed has kept rates near zero to boost the economy by encouraging borrowing and spending.

North Korea is setting back its clocks by half an hour on Aug. 15, establishing its own time zone and abandoning the one it has shared with Japan and South Korea. The move was meant to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea's independence and erase part of the legacy of Japanese rule. "The wicked Japanese imperialists committed such unpardonable crimes as depriving Korea of even its standard time while mercilessly trampling down its land," the Korean Central News Agency said Friday.

Actress Jennifer Aniston married actor, director, and screenwriter Justin Theroux in a private ceremony at their $21 million Bel Air mansion this week. The roughly 70 guests included such celebrities as Lisa Kudrow, Howard Stern, Chelsea Handler, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, and Ellen DeGeneres. The couple hid preparations from the paparazzi by having a giant shed built to cover up the rolling out of furniture and party supplies. It was Theroux's first marriage, and Aniston's second — she divorced Brad Pitt in 2005.

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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.