10 things you need to know today: September 26, 2014

1. Eric Holder is resigning as head of the Justice Department

Attorney General Eric Holder, a leading liberal voice in the Obama administration and the first African-American in the powerful post, is resigning, the Justice Department announced Thursday. Holder has been a driving force behind the administration's support for same-sex marriage and protecting voting rights. That record, along with controversies such as the so-called Fast and Furious gun trafficking scandal, have made him a focus of conservative ire. He will stay on the job until his replacement — whom President Obama has not picked yet — is confirmed.

The New York Times

2. Iraqi prime minister warns of alleged plot to attack U.S. subways

Authorities in New York City increased police patrols on Thursday after Iraq's prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, said his country's intelligence network had uncovered a terrorist plot to attack subways in the U.S. and Paris. U.S. security officials said, however, that they were not aware of any credible evidence of a scheme to carry out such an attack. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio boarded city subways to show the added police presence would ensure riders' safety.

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The Associated Press

3. Ferguson police chief apologizes to Michael Brown's parents

Ferguson, Missouri, Police Chief Tom Jackson tried late Thursday to join a march of people protesting the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by one of his police officers in August, but his presence set off scuffles and several arrests. Hours earlier, Jackson had released a video apology to the Brown family, saying he was "truly sorry" for their child's death. The killing touched off weeks of unrest, after witnesses said Brown had his hands up when he was shot.

NBC News The Christian Science Monitor

4. Investigators reportedly have identified ISIS killer in beheading videos

FBI Director James Comey said Thursday that intelligence officials had identified the masked, knife-wielding ISIS militant who has been seen in videos of the beheadings of three hostages — including American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff — kidnapped in Syria. Comey declined to reveal the man's identity. A European government source said the man, who spoke English with a British accent, appeared to be from a community of Asian immigrants in London.

Reuters

5. Three NYC firefighters who breathed WTC dust die of cancer hours apart

Three retired New York City firefighters died within hours of each other this week from illnesses believed linked to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Daniel Heglund, 58, Robert Leaver, 56, and Howard Bischoff, 58, suffered from cancer, and died on Monday. Ninety-two emergency workers involved in the rescue and then recovery efforts have died in the years since. Hundreds more continue to suffer from respiratory problems after inhaling dust and smoke at the scene.

CNN

6. Detroit elected officials regain control over their broke city's daily operations

Detroit's City Council unanimously voted Thursday to return oversight of the financially strapped city's daily operations to elected officials. Under the plan, a state-appointed emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, would retain control over issues connected to Detroit's bankruptcy case, the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Orr already has been gradually returning financial authority to Detroit's elected leaders. His 18-month contract ends this weekend.

Detroit Free Press

7. British lawmakers expected to approve airstrikes against ISIS

British Parliament is expected to approve Prime Minister David Cameron's proposal to join the U.S.-led campaign of airstrikes against ISIS militants in Iraq. Lawmakers are meeting in a specially convened session to consider the matter on Friday. Cameron moved carefully after lawmakers rejected airstrikes against Syrian government forces last year, a humiliating political defeat, but leaders across the political spectrum say Cameron has broad support to bomb the Islamist militant group.

NBC News

8. Obama approving huge expansion of Pacific marine reserve

President Obama plans to create the world's largest fully protected marine reserve, Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Thursday. The reserve, which Obama would establish using his executive authority, would protect some of the central Pacific Ocean's coral reefs and other marine ecosystems that among the "most vulnerable" to climate change, Kerry said during a meeting on preserving the world's oceans. Obama's move will expand the Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Monument from 87,000 square miles to more than 490,000.

The Washington Post

9. Thirty states could soon have gas prices below $3 a gallon

The price of gasoline could fall below $3 per gallon in 30 states by the end of the year, according to a forecast from GasBuddy.com. Prices typically dip in autumn, and this year the trend is being magnified by falling fuel prices worldwide. The national average has already dropped to $3.35 per gallon, which is almost its lowest point this year and a dime below the same time last year.

The Associated Press

10. Jeter bats in the winning run in his last game at Yankee Stadium

New York Yankees star Derek Jeter smacked the game-winning hit in the final inning of the final home game of his 20-year career on Thursday night. The 6-5 victory against the Baltimore Orioles was Jeter's 1,627th regular-season win in a Yankee uniform. Jeter called his final hit — his 3,463rd — "an out-of-body experience." Next, Jeter will join the team for a season-ending series in Boston, but only as a designated hitter. "I've played shortstop my entire career," he said, "and the last time I wanted to play was tonight."

The New York Times