10 things you need to know today: July 3, 2014
- 1. Security tightened for U.S.-bound flights over bomb fears
- 2. Evacuation ordered for part of North Carolina coast as Arthur gains strength
- 3. Colorado woman, 19, charged with trying to help ISIS suspect in Syria
- 4. Colorado asks for a moratorium on gay marriage lawsuits
- 5. Sarkozy criticizes French prosecutors over his detention in corruption case
- 6. Fire threatens California wine country homes
- 7. Tensions rise in Israel after killings of teenagers
- 8. Target asks people not to bring guns into its stores
- 9. Japan eases sanctions against North Korea
- 10. Consumer Reports fuels the fast food wars
1. Security tightened for U.S.-bound flights over bomb fears
The Homeland Security Department said Wednesday that it was increasing security screening at overseas airports with non-stop flights to the U.S. due to reports that terrorists had developed a new way to smuggle explosives onto planes. Intelligence agencies have not uncovered a specific plot, but they recently learned that a bomb maker working for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen had developed a technique for evading metal detectors and body scanners.
2. Evacuation ordered for part of North Carolina coast as Arthur gains strength
Tropical Storm Arthur reached hurricane strength early Thursday, with winds of 75 mph as it churned north toward the Carolinas. Arthur, the first named storm of the 2014 Atlantic season, was 190 miles south-southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, at 4:50 a.m. on Thursday. Hurricane warnings have been issued for parts of the North Carolina coast. Local authorities have ordered a mandatory evacuation on the Outer Banks' Hatteras Island and a voluntary evacuation on Ocracoke Island.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. Colorado woman, 19, charged with trying to help ISIS suspect in Syria
A Colorado teen, Shannon Maureen Conley, was arrested in April for allegedly plotting to help al Qaeda terrorists overseas, according to court documents that were unsealed Wednesday. Conley, 19, was arrested while boarding a flight to Turkey. Authorities believe she was trying to reach Syria to find a Tunisian man she met online. Conley hoped to marry the man, who said he was fighting for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). She had asked her parents for their blessing. They refused, and notified the FBI.
4. Colorado asks for a moratorium on gay marriage lawsuits
The Colorado attorney general's office asked a federal court Wednesday for an injunction to suspend same-sex marriage lawsuits in the state until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on whether gay-marriage bans are constitutional. A federal appeals court in Denver ruled last week that Utah could not stop same-sex couples from getting married, but stayed the ruling pending review by the Supreme Court. Since then six Denver couples have sued to overturn a Colorado constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
5. Sarkozy criticizes French prosecutors over his detention in corruption case
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy slammed anticorruption investigators on Wednesday after he was hauled in for questioning about possible attempts to tamper with an investigation into the financing of his 2007 election campaign. Prosecutors say Sarkozy, through a lawyer, tried to get information from a judge about an inquiry into whether he received up to $68 million in illegal contributions from Libya's Moammar Gadhafi. Sarkozy called his detention politically motivated and "grotesque."
6. Fire threatens California wine country homes
A wildfire has damaged two homes and forced the evacuation of 200 others in Napa County in Northern California. Authorities said however that the blaze, which grew to cover six square miles on Wednesday, posed no threat to Napa Valley wineries, as it was heading away from them. More than 1,000 firefighters are working to contain the fire, although forecasters expect Thursday to bring more of the hot, dry conditions that helped the fire expand a day earlier.
7. Tensions rise in Israel after killings of teenagers
Palestinian protesters and Israeli police clashed on Wednesday following the abduction and murder of an Arab teenager, Mohammad Abu Khieder in apparent retaliation for the killings of three kidnapped Israeli teens. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for restraint as the case was investigated. Palestinians blamed Jewish settlers for the Palestinian teen's death. Israel's air force launched air strikes on Gaza early Thursday in response to mortar fire by suspected Palestinian militants.
8. Target asks people not to bring guns into its stores
Target announced Wednesday that it "respectfully" requests that customers not bring guns into its stores. "This is a request and not a prohibition," said Molly Snyder of Target's public relations department. The decision came after a month of pressure from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Target didn't say what it would do if someone didn't comply. Fourteen states let people with permits openly carry guns. Thirty allow open carry without permits.
9. Japan eases sanctions against North Korea
Japan is lifting some economic sanctions against North Korea because Pyongyang has promised to resume investigations into the abduction of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Thursday. North Korea acknowledged in 2002 that it snatched 13 Japanese citizens to teach its spies about Japanese language and culture. The sanctions being lifted include a ban preventing North Korean officials from entering Japan. South Korea said the change shouldn't damage efforts to pressure Pyonyang over its nuclear and missile programs.
The Asahi Shimbun Voice of America
10. Consumer Reports fuels the fast food wars
Consumer Reports released its annual fast-food survey, and industry leaders McDonald's, KFC, and Taco Bell got panned in taste tests by more than 30,000 Consumer Reports subscribers. The chains each scored the worst for their signature fare — McDonald's had the worst burger ranking; KFC scored worst for chicken; and Taco Bell scored the worst rating for burritos. Habit Burger Grill, In-n-Out, and Five Guys Burgers scored highest for burgers with ratings of 8.1, 8.0 and 7.9 respectively. McDonald's scored 5.8.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
How AI-generated images are threatening science
Under The Radar Publishers and specialists are struggling to keep up with the impact of new content
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The Week contest: Demotivational coach
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine solutions - November 15, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 15, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 24, 2024
Daily Briefing Trump closes in on nomination with New Hampshire win over Haley, 'Oppenheimer' leads the 2024 Oscar nominations, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 23, 2024
Daily Briefing Haley makes last stand in New Hampshire as Trump extends polling lead, justices side with US over Texas in border fight, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 22, 2024
Daily Briefing DeSantis ends his presidential campaign and endorses Trump, the US and Arab allies push plan to end Gaza war, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 21, 2024
Daily Briefing Palestinian death toll reportedly passes 25,000, top Biden adviser to travel to Egypt and Qatar for hostage talks, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 20, 2024
Daily Briefing Grand jury reportedly convened to investigate Uvalde shooting response, families protest outside Netanyahu's house as pressure mounts for hostage deal, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 19, 2024
Daily Briefing Congress averts a government shutdown, DOJ report cites failures in police response to Texas school shooting, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 18, 2024
Daily Briefing Judge threatens to remove Trump from his defamation trial, medicine for hostages and Palestinians reach Gaza, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 17, 2024
Daily Briefing The US strikes Houthi targets in Yemen a third time, Trump's second sex defamation trial begins, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published