10 things you need to know today: January 10, 2016

Sean Penn interviews "El Chapo," U.S. responds to North Korea's hydrogen bomb claim with flyover, and more

U.S. B-52 bomber flies over South Korea
(Image credit: Ahn Young-joon/Associated Press)

1. Sean Penn interviews 'El Chapo' for Rolling Stone

Actor Sean Penn secured an exclusive interview with Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. The article, which Rolling Stone published Saturday after clearing the flattering copy with the source, took place while El Chapo was on the run after his July escape from a maximum security prison. El Chapo was captured Friday and returned to the same prison. Penn, Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, and any other actors and producers that met with El Chapo are under investigation, a Mexican official said Saturday.

Rolling Stone The New York Times

2. U.S. sends message to North Korea with B-52 flyover

The U.S. flew a B-52 bomber low over South Korea on Sunday in response to North Korea's recent disputed claim of having conducted a hydrogen bomb test. "This was a demonstration of the ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies in South Korea, in Japan, and to the defense of the American homeland," PACOM Commander Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr. said in a statement. North Korea has not yet responded to the flyover.

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The Guardian USA Today

3. Pope Francis to release new book on mercy in Catholicism

In his first book as pontiff, Pope Francis tackles the theme of mercy in the Catholic Church. "We must avoid the attitude of someone who judges and condemns from the lofty heights of his own certainty, looking for the splinter in his brother's eye while remaining unaware of the beam in his own," he said in The Name of God is Mercy, a conversation with Andrea Tornielli, an Italian journalist. The book is set to be released Tuesday.

The New York Times The Associated Press

4. Catfishing at center of Jackie's UVA gang rape story, former friend says

The University of Virginia gang rape Rolling Stone reported in a now-retracted 2014 story was rooted in a catfishing scheme, a former friend of Jackie, the purported rape victim, told The Washington Post on Friday. Days after meeting Jackie in 2012, Ryan Duffin said he started receiving texts from a friend of Jackie's named Haven Monahan. Charlottesville police later said no one with Monahan's name had attended the university.

The Washington Post

5. Egyptian legislature convenes after 3-year absence

Egyptian parliament convened Sunday for the first time in three years. The legislature, which in 2012 was controlled by Islamists, had been dissolved by a court ruling. Sunday's meeting, in which lawmakers took oaths, marks a big step toward President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's goal to return Egypt to democratic rule. Lawmakers will be tasked with ratifying roughly 300 presidential decrees passed by el-Sisi and his interim predecessor, Adly Mansour.

The Associated Press

6. At least 4 killed in Doctors Without Borders missile strike

A missile strike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital Sunday morning in northern Yemen has reportedly killed at least four people and injured 10. It's not clear who is behind the attack, the third recent one on a Yemeni facility associated with the organization. "We strongly condemn this incident that confirms a worrying pattern of attacks to essential medical services," said Raquel Ayora, a Doctors Without Borders director of operations.

BBC News The Wall Street Journal

7. Making a Murderer's Steven Avery gets high-profile attorney

Steven Avery, the Wisconsin man sentenced to prison for life for a 2005 murder he says he didn't commit, is getting new, high-profile legal representation. After being featured on Netflix's true crime series Making a Murderer, Avery will be represented by Illinois lawyer Kathleen Zellner, known for her track record on wrongful conviction exonerations. She'll be joined by Tricia Bushnell, the Midwest Innocence Project's legal director.

ABC News Entertainment Weekly

8. With no winner, Powerball jackpot jumps to estimated $1.3 billion

No one won a jackpot of $947.8 million in Saturday night's Powerball drawing, meaning the stakes for the Wednesday drawing will be even higher — an estimated $1.3 billion. The Powerball drawing hasn't seen a winner since November. Each new jackpot total marks a record high for a North American lottery game jackpot, easily surpassing March 2012's $656 million Mega Millions payout. The odds of winning the Powerball are 1 in 292 million.

Reuters

9. Star Wars director J.J. Abrams criticizes Hasbro for omitting Rey character

Amid backlash, Hasbro recently committed to adding Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) to the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Monopoly game. Director J.J. Abrams spoke out Saturday in favor of including Rey in franchise merchandise. "It seems preposterous and wrong that the main character of the movie is not well-represented in what is clearly a huge piece of the Star Wars world, in terms of merchandising," he said after a Television Critics Association panel.

Entertainment Weekly

10. Ricky Gervais to host 73rd Golden Globe Awards

British comedian Ricky Gervais is set to host his fourth Golden Globes on Sunday night. His previous hosting gigs have drawn criticism for controversial humor. "I'm never trying to undermine the moral fabric of America," he said Friday on Today. "I'd rather people laugh than gasp. But if they gasp, that's good too." Carol, The Big Short, The Revenant, and Steve Jobs lead the way in nominations. Watch the boozy ceremony go down starting at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Golden Globes Los Angeles Times

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.