10 things you need to know today: March 28, 2015

1. Italian court overturns conviction in Amanda Knox murder trial

Italy's highest court overturned the 2009 murder convictions of Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaelle Sollecito on Friday, officially closing the controversial case that has captivated people across the U.S. and Europe since Knox's British roommate Meredith Kercher was murdered in 2007. The case has been an emotional rollercoaster for Knox and Sollecito, who were convicted in 2009, acquitted in 2011, and retried in 2013, after their acquittals were overturned. In 2007, Kercher was found stabbed to death in the apartment she shared with Knox. Another man, Rudy Guede, is already serving a 16-year sentence for the crime.

Reuters CNN

2. Astronauts Scott Kelly, Mikhail Kornienko begin their year in space aboard ISS

American astronaut Scott Kelly and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kornienko successfully began their year aboard the International Space Station on Friday, rocketing away from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The duo's mission would be the longest expedition ever, when completed. And NASA will be studying an interesting component of Kelly's time in space, by comparing his physical changes over the course of the year against his Earth-bound twin brother, Mark Kelly.

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Space.com The Washington Post

3. Jury rules against Ellen Pao in Silicon Valley gender discrimination suit

Gender was not the reason former partner Ellen Pao was passed over for a promotion at prominent venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield, and Byers, a California jury in Silicon Valley ruled on Friday. Pao's suit had asked for $16 million in compensatory damages from Kleiner Perkins, an early investor in companies such as Google and Genentech. Pao alleged that in her seven years with the firm, she was overlooked for promotions because of her gender, and subject to inappropriate behavior from male colleagues who went undisciplined. But Kleiner Perkins argued that Pao was a difficult employee who failed to improve in areas on which she was critiqued, and that she failed to build "thought leadership" with fellow employees.

Time

4. Rep. Trey Gowdy: Hillary Clinton wiped email server 'clean'

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said Friday that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wiped "clean" all private emails from her server, defying a subpoena from Gowdy requesting "any emails relating to Libya, weapons located in the country, the Benghazi attacks, and administration statements following the attacks on the compound," Politico reports. Gowdy, who is chairman of the Select Committee on Benghazi, subpoenaed Clinton following reports that she had saved emails on a private server and used a personal email account while at the State Department. An attorney for Clinton, David Kendall, responded to Gowdy in a letter stating that the 900 pages of emails Clinton has already provided to the panel cover the subpoena's requests.

Politico

5. Investigators find Germanwings co-pilot hid medical condition from company

German investigators announced Friday that Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings plane, had intentionally hidden his medical condition from his employer. Lubitz reportedly spent more than a year receiving psychiatric treatment after suffering from a "serious depressive episode." Investigators searched Lubitz's home and found a ripped-up doctor's note that authorized Lubitz to take time off from work due to an illness. The investigators added that they did not find "any indication of a political or religious" nature in the home, nor did they find a suicide note. Lubitz is believed to have intentionally crashed a Germanwings plane in the French Alps on Tuesday, killing all 150 people on board.

The New York Times Reuters

6. Harry Reid endorses Chuck Schumer as next Senate minority leader

Following the news that he would not seek re-election next year, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) endorsed Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to take his place during a Friday morning interview with The Washington Post. Reid's endorsement of Schumer leapfrogged Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) who is the second-highest Democrat in the upper chamber. Schumer is third in line. Reid said Durbin would likely not oppose Schumer, and that Schumer could bring "a different style" to the leadership post.

The Washington Post

7. Nigerian army re-takes Boko Haram stronghold ahead of presidential election

The Nigerian army announced on Friday that it had re-taken the town of Gwoza from Islamist militant group Boko Haram. Army officials said Boko Haram had been using the site as its headquarters, and that insurgents were seen fleeing toward Nigeria's border with Cameroon. The news comes just ahead of today's presidential elections; incumbent President Goodluck Johathan faces an uphill battle at the ballot box against Muhammadu Buhari, who has criticized Jonathan's perceived failure to force out Boko Haram during his time in office.

Time

8. U.N. report: More than 2,300 Palestinians killed by Israeli operations in 2014

Israel's operations resulted in the deaths of 2,314 Palestinians in 2014, according to an annual report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The report credited most of the deaths to the Gaza Strip conflict, which ran from July 2014 through August 2014 and killed 2,220 Gazans. Of those, 1,492 people were civilians, 605 were militants, and another 123 could not be verified. In addition to the deaths, 17,125 Palestinians reported injuries as a result of Israel's activities, and about 500,000 Palestinians were displaced during the conflict — around 100,000 of whom remain displaced. The number of casualties is the highest since the year 1967, when the West Bank and Gaza Strip occupation began, the UN report notes. Israeli fatalities due to the conflict increased from four in 2013 to 12 deaths in 2014.

The Guardian

9. U.S. Senate approves GOP-led budget

The Senate approved a GOP-led budget at 3:28 a.m. on Friday, with a 52-46 vote. The budget seeks to reduce the federal deficit to zero within a decade and includes a repeal of ObamaCare. The vote comes after the House passed a similar budget blueprint on Wednesday. Both chambers now face an April 15 deadline to hash out a final budget. Of the 52 votes in favor of the budget, not one was from a Democratic senator. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, meanwhile, were the only Republicans not to vote in favor of the budget.

The New York Times Politico

10. Michigan St. makes Elite Eight as lowest seed left standing

For much of the regular season, Michigan State's men's basketball team was decidedly average. The Spartans went 21-10, and there was some talk as to whether they'd even land a spot in the NCAA tournament. Having downed No. 2 seed Virginia and, on Friday night, No. 3 seed Oklahoma, the No. 7 Spartans are headed for the Elite Eight as the lowest seed left standing. Tom Izzo's team takes on Louisville on Sunday; Saturday night's matchups feature Wisconsin vs. Arizona, and Kentucky vs. Notre Dame. The other Sunday game is between Duke and Gonzaga. The winners of each will head for Indianapolis on April 4, to compete in the Final Four.

Sports Illustrated