10 things you need to know today: June 26, 2014
- 1. Republicans threaten to sue Obama
- 2. Supreme Court protects cellphones from warrantless searches
- 3. Rangel beat primary challenger, AP says
- 4. Nigeria bombing kills 21
- 5. Appellate court upholds ruling against Utah gay-marriage ban
- 6. Two more VA officials leave as scandal simmers
- 7. Investigators say missing Malaysia Airlines jet was probably on autopilot
- 8. Strong demand pushes up price for GoPro's IPO
- 9. Aereo loses, and the TV industry wins big
- 10. Lincecum pitches his second no-hitter against the Padres
1. Republicans threaten to sue Obama
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said lawmakers would vote next month on authorizing a lawsuit against President Obama because they believe he has failed to carry out Congress' laws on everything from health care to energy to foreign policy. The White House said it was "completely confident" Obama had always acted within his authority. Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) called the move a " desperate political stunt" to rile up the GOP base.
2. Supreme Court protects cellphones from warrantless searches
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that police cannot search the cellphone of an arrested suspect without a warrant. The sweeping, 9-0 decision marked a major victory for privacy advocates. Chief Justice John Roberts said it was undeniable that the ruling would "have an impact on the ability of law enforcement to combat crime," but that the information on a phone was as worthy of protection as anything "for which the Founders fought."
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3. Rangel beat primary challenger, AP says
Embattled 22-term Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) has won his Democratic primary by a narrow margin, leading challenger Adriano Espaillat by about 1,800 votes with 99 percent of the vote counted, according to The Associated Press. Rangel stepped down as chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee in 2010 during an ethics investigation that led to his censure. Espaillat, a state senator who nearly beat Rangel two years ago, has said the race isn't over until every vote is counted.
4. Nigeria bombing kills 21
An explosion at a shopping mall in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, killed at least 21 people on Wednesday as Nigerians were preparing to watch their team play Argentina in a televised World Cup match. The blast tore through the mall during rush hour. Locals immediately blamed Boko Haram, an Islamist militant group that has been blamed for other attacks on crowds watching World Cup matches. Boko Haram did not immediately claim responsibility.
5. Appellate court upholds ruling against Utah gay-marriage ban
A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld a lower court's ruling striking down Utah's ban on same-sex marriage. The 2-1 decision marked a significant victory for gay rights advocates, because it was the first time a federal appeals court upheld a decision legalizing gay marriage. Exactly a year ago, the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act but stopped short of ruling that gay marriage was a constitutionally protected right.
6. Two more VA officials leave as scandal simmers
The Department of Veterans Affairs said Wednesday that two senior officials were stepping down as the department struggles to restore public trust after an alleged cover-up to hide delayed care for veterans. Dr. Robert Jesse will be leaving his post as under secretary for health, and Will Gunn will quit as general counsel. Both had faced harsh criticism in Congress. Embattled former VA secretary Eric Shinseki stepped down less than a month ago.
7. Investigators say missing Malaysia Airlines jet was probably on autopilot
Malaysia Airlines' missing Flight 370 probably flew south over the Indian Ocean on autopilot until it ran out of fuel and spiraled into the sea, Australian investigators said Thursday. The conclusion has led officials to stake out a vast new search area 1,100 miles off the west coast of Australia. The plane went missing on a March 8 flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. A loss of cabin pressure might have left the crew unresponsive due to oxygen deprivation.
8. Strong demand pushes up price for GoPro's IPO
GoPro priced its initial public offering of stock at $24 a share, the high end of the expected range. The company, which makes wearable cameras used by sports enthusiasts, stood to make $427 million when it puts 17.8 million shares on sale Thursday. The IPO pegged the value of the company at nearly $3 billion. GoPro sold 3.8 million cameras last year and almost doubled its revenues to $986 million.
9. Aereo loses, and the TV industry wins big
In a major victory for cable and broadcasting companies, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that upstart Aereo could no longer stream network shows from a user's antenna to his or her home or mobile device without paying licensing fees. Aereo claimed it had the right to capture the signals and send them over the internet to the owner of each antenna, but the high court ruled that the service amounted to rebroadcasting, a violation of the broadcasters' copyrights.
10. Lincecum pitches his second no-hitter against the Padres
The San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum pitched a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday to lead his team to a 4-0 win. It was Lincecum's second no-hitter against the Padres in less than a year, making him just the second pitcher in Major League Baseball history to hold the same team hitless twice. The only other player to accomplish the feat was Hall of Famer Addie Joss, who threw two no-hitters for Cleveland against the Chicago White Sox in 1908 and 1910.
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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.
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