10 things you need to know today: November 10, 2014

1. ISIS leader reportedly wounded in airstrike

An airstrike on a meeting of Islamic State militants in western Iraq wounded the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Iraq's Defense and Interior ministries reported Sunday. Iraqi officials said they did not know the extent of Baghdadi's injuries. President Obama said in an interview broadcast by CBS on Sunday that the battle against ISIS was entering a "new phase" with the addition of 1,500 U.S. troops to help train Iraqi security forces battling the Islamist group.

The Associated Press CNN

2. Alaskan storm sends first winter blast to lower 48

A massive storm that hit parts of Alaska with hurricane-force winds drove arctic air eastward on Sunday, sending the first harsh winter blast toward two-thirds of the U.S. Montana and the Dakotas were the first Western states hit with heavy snow on Sunday. Forecasters said the storm would gain strength and dump as much as 18 inches of snow in the Great Lakes region on Monday, with parts of the nation due for record low temperatures.

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NBC News

3. Obama says failure to sell Democrats' policies led to midterm loss

President Obama took the blame for Democrats' loss in last week's midterm elections, saying in an interview broadcast by CBS on Sunday that his administration failed to sell voters on the benefits of his policies. "It's not enough just to build a better mousetrap," Obama said in the interview, aired as he was leaving for a high-stakes three-country Asia tour. "We've got to sell it." Sizing up Tuesday's results, which returned the House to GOP control, Obama said, "we got beat."

The New York Times

4. George W. Bush says brother Jeb is torn on whether to run for president

Former president George W. Bush told CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday that his brother, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, was "still wrestling with the decision" on whether to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. "I think it's 50-50," the former president said. "He knows exactly, you know, the ramifications on family, for example. He's seen his dad and his brother go through the presidency. I'd give it a tossup."

The Associated Press

5. American Airlines flight attendants narrowly turn down contract

American Airlines and US Airways flight attendant crews rejected a joint labor contract on Sunday by just 16 votes out of 16,376 cast. American Airlines said it was "disappointed" in the result, which would have marked the first joint contract for the two companies' workers since the merger in December 2013. The stewards will work under their old contracts while the two sides enter binding arbitration.

Reuters

6. Suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber kills 47 in Nigerian school

A suicide bomber attacked a school assembly in northern Nigeria on Monday, killing at least 47 people and wounding 79. No group immediately claimed responsibility, but police suspect Boko Haram, an Islamist group that has declared Western-style education a sin. The attack took place at 7:50 a.m., local time, outside the principal's office, where students were awaiting a daily speech.

CNN

7. Germans celebrate 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Berlin on Sunday to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A nine-mile string of 8,000 illuminated helium balloons traced the footprint of the former barrier, which divided Germany and served as a symbol of the Cold War. The balloons were released into the night sky one at a time, symbolizing the moments when crowds first breached the Wall in 1989.

BBC News

8. Pastor and motivational speaker Myles Munroe killed in Bahamas plane crash

Bahamian evangelical minister Myles Munroe, an internationally known motivational speaker, and his wife, Ruth, were among nine passengers killed Sunday when their Lear jet crashed while trying to land Grand Bahamas International airport. The group was traveling to Monday's Global Leadership Forum, hosted by an organization Munroe, 60, founded, Bahamas Faith Ministries. Munroe wrote more than 100 best-selling inspirational books.

The Washington Post

9. Catalan voters back independence in symbolic referendum

Voters in the Spanish region of Catalonia overwhelmingly backed breaking away from Spain in a non-binding — and, according to the government, illegal — referendum held Sunday. Eighty percent of the two million casting ballots were in favor of secession, although turnout was low. Spanish Justice Minister Rafael Catala called the vote "useless," while Catalan leader Artur Mas said it was a great success.

BBC News

10. Britons applaud Queen Elizabeth after foiled terror plot

British crowds greeted Queen Elizabeth II with applause on Sunday as she left her residence in central London to lead Remembrance Day ceremonies honoring the nation's war dead. The spontaneous demonstration of appreciation on a day traditionally marked with silence came days after London police, in overnight raids on Thursday, foiled an alleged plot by Islamist terrorists to attack the queen on Remembrance Sunday.

Daily Mail CTV News