10 things you need to know today: April 10, 2015

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1. John Kerry and Cuban foreign minister hold highest-level U.S.-Cuba talks in 50 years
2. Hillary Clinton is reportedly launching her presidential campaign Sunday
3. Guard fatally shot outside Census Bureau headquarters
4. Police car dash-cam shows Walter Scott fleeing before North Charleston shooting
5. One killed by tornado in Illinois
6. Sheriff investigates suspect beating in California
7. Amazon gets new FAA approval for drone delivery research
8. Apple Watch pre-orders begin without long lines
9. Jon Hamm tied to 1990 frat hazing incident
10. Spieth vaults to Masters lead with one of the best first rounds ever

published 10 April 2015

1. John Kerry and Cuban foreign minister hold highest-level U.S.-Cuba talks in 50 years

Secretary of State John Kerry and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez met in Panama Thursday night in the highest-level talks between the U.S. and Cuba since then-vice president Richard Nixon met with Fidel Castro in April 1959. Kerry and Rodriguez talked for two hours in a hotel restaurant-bar on the eve of the Summit of the Americas. President Obama, who is expected to cross paths with Cuban President Raul Castro at the summit, hinted Thursday that he could soon remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the latest sign of improving U.S.-Cuba relations.

Everyone has long expected former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to run for president again in 2016, but nobody knew when she was going to make it official. According to the New York Daily News and The Guardian, Sunday's the day. Multiple Clinton sources wouldn't confirm the Sunday launch with other news outlets, but they did say the big announcement is coming very soon. Clinton would be the first Democrat in the race, and the strong favorite to win her party's nomination. Formally declaring her candidacy this early will let her start raising money, among other perks.

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A security guard was shot Thursday at the entrance to the U.S. Census Bureau's Maryland headquarters, and died hours later in a nearby hospital. Police said the incident began when a gunman kidnapped a woman in a domestic dispute and drove to the Census Bureau, then shot the guard, 59-year-old Lawrence Buckner, as he approached the gunman's green Honda. A suspect was arrested in nearby Washington, D.C., after a chase and shoot-out that left the suspect and a police sergeant wounded.

North Charleston police on Thursday released video from the dashboard camera of now-fired officer Michael Slager's cruiser just before he fatally shot the unarmed driver, Walter Scott, after a foot chase. The video shows Slager talking to Scott through the driver-side window. Then the officer returns to his cruiser, and Scott jumps out of the car and runs. Slager, who has been charged with murder for Scott's death, also reportedly faced a 2013 excessive violence complaint for allegedly Tasing a man in his home in a case of mistaken identity.

Severe thunderstorms and a large tornado battered northern Illinois on Thursday, killing at least one person. The victim, described by a local television station as a woman in her 60s, died in the unincorporated community of Fairdale, where police were going door-to-door looking for survivors in destroyed buildings. At least seven people were injured, and a dozen people were rescued from a collapsed restaurant after the storm. DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said the community "was pretty well destroyed."

A California sheriff ordered an investigation after a news helicopter videotaped several deputies beating a man who had fled from officers on horseback. Deputies had tried to serve a search warrant at the home of 30-year-old Francis Pusok. A man identified as Pusok fled in a car, then ditched the vehicle and stole a horse. Officers then chased him into rugged terrain. The NBC Los Angeles news video shows Pusok falling to the ground and putting his hands behind his back before being swarmed and kicked by about 10 officers.

Amazon has won federal approval to continue testing drone delivery, the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday. Amazon got initial approval in March, but the process took so long that it had to update its remote-controlled aircraft. Amazon now has an exception to the FAA's general prohibition against commercial drones until it releases comprehensive regulations. Amazon will be allowed to fly up to 400 feet above private property. The drones will have to remain within the pilot's sight, and at least 500 feet away from other people.

Apple began taking pre-orders early Friday on its Apple Watch, the company's first new consumer product since the 2011 death of visionary co-founder Steve Jobs. There were short lines in Apple stores, where customers were invited to try on the gadgets. The devices won't start shipping until April 24. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said Apple could get 300,000 pre-orders in the first 24 hours, and sell a million on the opening weekend. Apple received four million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus pre-orders in its first 24 hours in September.

Mad Men star Jon Hamm participated in a 1990 fraternity hazing incident at the University of Texas at Austin that led to criminal charges and the disbanding of the frat, The Associated Press reported Thursday. Court records said Hamm, who reached a plea deal in 1995, and other Sigma Nu members paddled pledge Mark Sanders and led him around a room with a hammer claw hooked under his genitals. Hamm participated "till the very end," Sanders said in a 1991 lawsuit. Hamm's publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jordan Spieth, 21, jumped to a three-stroke lead in the first round of the Masters golf tournament on Thursday with a near-record first round of 64, eight under par. He shot six birdies in one seven-hole stretch. It was the best opening round at the storied tournament in 19 years. A struggling Tiger Woods, making his return to tournament play after a two-month hiatus, shot a one-over-par 73, leaving the once dominant golfer nine shots behind Spieth heading into Friday's second round.

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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.