10 things you need to know today: May 9, 2016

Kim Jong Un attends the congress of North Korea&#039;s ruling Workers&#039; Party

(Image credit: Kyodo/via REUTERS)

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1. Trump shifts, backs minimum wage hike
2. North Korea expels BBC journalists
3. Greece passes pension and tax reforms despite protesters' objections
4. Firefighters make progress against massive Canadian blaze
5. Sarah Palin vows to back Paul Ryan's primary opponent
6. North Carolina faces impending federal deadline on bathroom law
7. Saudi Arabia replaces its once-powerful oil minister
8. Iran test fires medium-range missile
9. Vote counting begins in Philippines presidential election
10. Captain America: Civil War posts fifth biggest opening ever

By Harold Maass, The Week US

last updated 9 May 2016

1. Trump shifts, backs minimum wage hike

Donald Trump said in interviews broadcast Sunday that he would like to see a minimum wage hike, something he has previously opposed. "I have seen what's going on, and I don't know how people make it on $7.25," the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said, referring to the federal minimum hourly wage on NBC's Meet the Press. Trump said that he did not think the federal government should set the minimum. "Let the states decide," he said. Trump also said taxes for the rich could go up if he wins.

North Korea on Monday expelled BBC correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and his crew over their reporting, which the country's isolated communist government said was disrespectful of its leader, Kim Jong Un. Wingfield-Hayes was questioned for eight hours and made to sign an apology. More than 100 foreign journalists received visas to enter the country during a rare ruling Worker's Party congress, but they were not allowed to cover the event.

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Greek lawmakers voted Sunday by a slim majority to approve pension cuts and tax hikes intended to satisfy the debt-burdened country's creditors. Thousands protested the new austerity measures, which were pushed by the left-wing government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras ahead of a Monday meeting in which eurozone finance ministers will discuss whether Greece has met the terms of its bailout, and can receive $5.7 billion more. When Tsipras took office, he pledged to roll back austerity measures imposed by creditors.

Canadian authorities said Sunday they had made progress fighting the massive wildfire that forced the evacuation of the oil-sands town of Fort McMurray, and hoped soon to have a "death grip" on the blaze. "We can really get in there and really get a handle on this fire," Chad Morrison of Alberta Wildfire said Sunday at a news conference. Firefighters hope to be able to put out hot spots as temperatures cool over the next few days, although it remains unclear when Fort McMurray's 88,000 residents will be able to return to see what's left of their town.

Sarah Palin said Sunday that she would work to unseat House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) over his snubbing of Donald Trump, the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee. Ryan said last week he wasn't ready to endorse Trump, even though all of Trump's primary opponents have dropped out. Palin, the party's 2008 vice presidential nominee, said Ryan's "political career is over." Ryan faces a primary challenge from businessman Paul Nehlen. Trump and Ryan are meeting Thursday, and Trump on Sunday did not rule out trying to have Ryan removed as chair of the party's July convention.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory has until the end of the day Monday to respond to the Justice Department's warning that his state's controversial bathroom law violates the Civil Rights Act. The law requires transgender people use the restroom that corresponds to their biological sex, and the feds say this violates civil rights protections. McCrory has promised to respond by the deadline, but it's not clear what his response will be. A refusal could spark a federal lawsuit and cost North Carolina hundreds of millions in federal funding.

Saudi Arabia fired Ali al-Naimi, its longtime oil minister, over the weekend. Naimi had forcefully opposed lowering the oil-rich nation's production when prices dropped, a break with tradition. Naimi, who served in the post since 1995, designed the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' policy shift in 2014 to resist cutting production despite a global oil-supply glut that has dragged down oil markets for months. His successor, Saudi Arabian Oil Co. Chairman Khalid Al-Falih, pledged to maintain the country's near-record output.

Iran test-fired another ballistic missile two weeks ago, the Islamic Republic's semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported Monday, quoting a senior military official. It was the latest in a series of controversial tests since the implementation of a nuclear deal with world powers in which Tehran promised to curb its weapons programs in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Iran insists the launches don't violate the deal. The latest missile fired has a range of 1,250 miles, meaning it could reach Israel.

Voting wrapped up Monday in the presidential election in the Philippines, after an hour-long extension in some areas due to delays. Election officials said they did not expect to have a presumptive winner until at least 24 hours after counting began. The frontrunner in polls before the vote was Rodrigo Duterte, the brash mayor of the southern city of Davao. He promised to kill criminals, and wipe out crime and corruption within six months.

Disney and Marvel's Captain America: Civil War brought in $181.8 million at the U.S. box office over the weekend, according to comScore estimates on Sunday. If the numbers hold, the 13th Marvel film will have scored the fifth highest domestic opening ever, behind Marvel's The Avengers and The Avengers: Age of Ultron at No. 3 and No. 4. Captain America: Civil War nearly doubled the opening weekend haul of the last film in the franchise, The Winter Soldier, which opened with $95 million in April 2014.

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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.