10 things you need to know today: June 16, 2012

1. OBAMA UNVEILS NEW IMMIGRATION POLICY

In the Rose Garden of the White House Friday, President Obama spoke to reporters about his administration's decision to immediately halt the deportation of many young illegal immigrants. The executive order "cast into sharp relief the longstanding political differences on immigration, one of the most divisive and delicate issues being debated as the November elections approach," says The New York Times. Republicans complained that the president is overstepping his powers, but Obama said "he was acting only 'in the absence of any immigration action from Congress to fix our broken immigration system.'" Also of note: A reporter from the conservative website The Daily Caller interrupted Obama's Rose Garden remarks, prompting a scolding from the commander-in-chief. [The New York Times]

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2. EGYPTIANS VOTE AMIDST POLITICAL CHAOS

Egyptians began voting Saturday in a presidential runoff election that pits the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi against Ahmed Shafik, the last prime minister in ousted-and-jailed Hosni Mubarak's regime. The two-day runoff vote comes in the wake of game-changing court decisions this week, in which Egypt's first freely elected parliament was dissolved and Shafik was given the green light to run for president. [CNN]

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3. EXPORTER: RUSSIA WILL SEND MISSILES TO SYRIA

The chief of Russia's state-controlled arms exporter said Friday that his country will send missile systems to Syria that could be used to down planes or sink ships. "This is not a threat, but whoever is planning an attack should think about this," said exporter Anatoly P. Isaykin. The announcement comes just days after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized Moscow for sending attack helicopters to Damascus and for tacitly condoning Syrian President Assad's use of violence against his own people. [The New York Times]

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4. EX-GOLDMAN DIRECTOR GUILTY OF INSIDER TRADING

A federal jury in New York on Friday convicted Rajat Gupta, a former director at invesment bank Goldman Sachs, on charges of insider trading. Prosecutors say Gupta was involved in a vast scheme orchestrated by billionaire hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2011. Gupta was accused of passing on non-public information to Rajaratnam that he had gleaned from board meetings at Goldman Sachs and other high-profile companies. [The Wall Street Journal]

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5. U.S. REVEALS MORE SECRET SERVICE ACCUSATIONS

The U.S. government revealed new details of serious allegations against Secret Service agents and officers dating back to 2004, including claims of involvement with prostitutes, leaking sensitive information, publishing pornography, sexual assault, illegal wiretaps, improper use of weapons, and drunken behavior. Some of the alleged misbehavior occurred as recently as this May. [Associated Press]

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6. MICHIGAN SILENCES LAWMAKER FOR SAYING "VAGINA"

Michigan State Rep. Lisa Brown, a Democrat from suburban Detroit, was banned from speaking on the floor because the Republicans who control the House say she violated decorum. Rep. Brown was speaking out against a bill that seeks to ban all abortions after 20 weeks when she said, "I'm flattered that you're all concerned about my vagina. But no means no." The comment caused an uproar, and Brown was silenced for "comparing the abortion legislation to rape." [Associated Press]

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7. JUDGE: JETBLUE PILOT COMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL

A federal judge ruled on Friday that former JetBlue pilot Clayton Osbon is mentally fit to stand trial after forcing a March flight to make an emergency landing when he had an apparent meltdown. Witnesses said Osbon, 49, had to be wrestled to the floor of the plane, which was heading from New York to Las Vegas, after he began sprinting down the aisle, yelling that "things don't matter," and talking about Afghanistan, Iraq, and al Qaeda. [Reuters]

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8. U.S. STRESS LEVELS SPIKE

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh analyzed data from more than 6,300 people and found that from 1983 to 2009, the stress level of women has increased by 18 percent, while men experienced a 24 percent increase. It's considered "the first-ever historical comparison of stress levels across the USA." [USA Today]

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9. HITCHHIKER ADMITS FABRICATING SHOOTING ATTACK

A man hitchhiking across America to write a book about the kindness of Americans admitted to shooting himself in the arm and then pretending that he was a victim of a random act of violence. Ray Dolin of Julian, W.Va., had told authorities in Montana that a motorist stopped alongside him on a rural road last week and opened fire. A driver matching the description was even taken into custody in connection with the shooting. Police are still investigating why Dolin decided to lie about the circumstances of the shooting. [Los Angeles Times]

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10. STUDY SUGGESTS NEANDERTHALS MADE CAVE ART

According to a report in the journal Science, new tests show that 11 Spanish cave paintings of a red sphere and handprints are the oldest in the world — and may have been created by Neanderthals. Researchers found that one of the paintings is at least 40,800 years old, which is at least 15,000 years older than was previously thought. The paintings were first discovered in the 1870s. [Christian Science Monitor]