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

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1. Obama reportedly looks at bombing ISIS in Syria
2. Apple introduces the iPhone 6 and, finally, the Apple Watch
3. Kerry travels to Iraq to back inclusive new government
4. Challenger upsets nine-term Rep. John Tierney in Democratic primary
5. Five siblings, aged 2 to 8, found dead in Alabama
6. Blast kills top leaders of Syrian rebel group
7. Veterinarian who founded elephant refuge crushed by elephant
8. Former exotic dancer sues Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
9. Shark kills British expat in Australia
10. Nike and other companies ditch Ray Rice

last updated 13 January 2015

1. Obama reportedly looks at bombing ISIS in Syria

President Obama is scheduled to deliver a televised address Wednesday night in which he will reveal his plans for defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. People who have spoken to Obama about the issue say he is prepared to launch airstrikes in Syria against the extremist group. The U.S. has already bombed ISIS fighters in northern Iraq to protect civilians and stop the extremist group's offensive against the Iraqi government, but Obama has avoided attacking it in Syria so far to avoid getting involved in that country's civil war.

Apple unveiled two new iPhones on Tuesday, along with its long-rumored Apple Watch. The new incarnations of the company's popular smartphone — the iPhone 6 and the bigger iPhone 6 Plus — will include a mobile payment system called Apple Pay that aims to replace physical credit and debit cards. Analysts will be watching the performance of the Apple Watch. It is the first product developed entirely since Tim Cook took over as CEO in 2011.

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Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday to show support for the country's new prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, and his new, more Sunni-friendly government. Kerry this week called the formation of the power-sharing government a "major milestone." Kerry will meet with Abadi and other leaders to discuss joint strategies for fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which fed on Sunni anger over the policies of former Shiite prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Political newcomer Seth Moulton, 35, on Tuesday defeated nine-term Rep. John Tierney, becoming the first Democrat in Massachusetts to oust an incumbent in a primary since 1992. Tierney, 62, had been considered vulnerable since his wife, Patrice, was convicted on federal tax charges in 2010. Moulton, a Harvard Business School graduate and former Marine, will face former state Senate minority leader Richard Tisei, a Republican who nearly beat Tierney two years ago, in the November general election.

Five missing children from a South Carolina family were found dead in Alabama, and their father confessed on Tuesday to killing them, Smith County Sheriff Charlie Crumpton said. The father, Timothy Ray Jones, reportedly led police to the bodies after his arrest in Mississippi on Saturday on unrelated charges. The children, aged 2 to 8, were found buried, each in a different garbage bag. The children were last seen with their father, who was their primary guardian.

An explosion has killed most of the leaders of Syria's largest rebel faction, the conservative Islamist group Ahrar al Sham, activists said late Tuesday. At least two dozen people were reportedly killed in the blast, although some accounts put the death toll at 75. The explosion, possibly a suicide bombing, came 10 days after Ahrar al Sham severed ties with the Nusra Front, al Qaida's affiliate in Syria, and the leaders were meeting to discuss joining another coalition.

The founder of a Maine elephant sanctuary — Jim Laurita — was accidentally crushed to death by one of the animals, the local sheriff's office reported Tuesday. Laurita appeared to have fallen and hit his head while tending to one of the elephants, which then inadvertently stepped on him, causing severe internal injuries. Laurita left a veterinary practice in 2011 to establish the facility, Hope Elephants, which houses abandoned or orphaned animals, and currently is sheltering two elephants.

A 27-year-old former exotic dancer has filed a lawsuit accusing Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of sexually assaulting her in a local hotel room in June 2009. The woman, Jana Weckerly, says that Jones, 71, fondled her and forced her to fondle him. Weckerly also says Jones made her watch as he received oral sex from one of two other women in the room. Jones' lawyer said the allegations are "completely false," calling the lawsuit a "shakedown." Weckerly is asking for $1 million in punitive damages.

A shark killed a 50-year-old man near a popular beach in Australia on Tuesday. English expat Paul Wilcox, an IT specialist, had been swimming alone, wearing a wetsuit and flippers, when the roughly 10-foot-long great white shark struck. Local newspapers reported that the shark bit off Wilcox's right leg at the thigh, and he died in the water from massive blood loss. A kayaker pulled Wilcox out of the water, and beachgoers tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate him.

The fallout continues for star running back Ray Rice following the release of a security video showing him appearing to knock out his then-fiancee, now-wife, Janay, in a casino elevator this summer. After the Baltimore Ravens fired Rice and the league suspended him indefinitely — costing him a $4 million salary — Rice also lost endorsement deals from several companies, including Nike and Electronic Arts, which will be erasing his image from the Madden '15 video game.

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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.