10 things you need to know today: April 28, 2015
Riots erupt in Baltimore after Freddie Gray's funeral, Loretta Lynch is sworn in as attorney general, and more
- 1. Maryland governor declares state of emergency after riots erupt in Baltimore
- 2. Loretta Lynch sworn in as attorney general
- 3. Nepal earthquake toll rises past 4,400
- 4. Apple beats expectations on surging iPhone sales
- 5. Tsarnaev lawyers ask jurors to spare him the death penalty
- 6. Colorado movie-theater massacre trial opens
- 7. South Korean court increases ferry captain's sentence to life in prison
- 8. Teacher tackles student who allegedly fired shots at Washington school
- 9. Families of Bali Nine say final farewells as executions loom
- 10. Award-winning actress Jayne Meadows dies at 95
1. Maryland governor declares state of emergency after riots erupt in Baltimore
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) declared a state of emergency and sent the National Guard to Baltimore on Monday to quell rioting that broke out after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died last week after suffering a spinal cord injury in police custody. Fifteen police officers were injured, six seriously, as city police were overwhelmed by rioters hurling rocks and bottles. One officer said a looted mall looked "like a war zone."
2. Loretta Lynch sworn in as attorney general
Loretta Lynch was sworn in as U.S. attorney general on Monday, replacing Eric Holder after a long-delayed confirmation vote. Lynch is the 83rd person to serve in the post, and the first African-American woman. Lynch said her confirmation showed that "we can do anything." She pledged fairness, saying, "We can restore trust and faith both in our laws and in those of us who enforce them." Vice President Joe Biden swore in Lynch, whom President Obama nominated in November, saying it was "about time" she got the chance to get to work.
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. Nepal earthquake toll rises past 4,400
The death toll from Saturday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Nepal rose above 4,400 on Monday. A United Nations spokesman said more than 1.4 million survivors were in need of food and other assistance. Foreign aid has begun arriving, but locals, still rattled by frequent aftershocks, expressed frustration over the speed of the response by their government. The director of neighboring India's National Disaster Response Force said rescuing survivors and recovering the bodies of the dead could take weeks.
4. Apple beats expectations on surging iPhone sales
Tech giant Apple on Monday reported $58 billion in revenue and a $13.6 billion profit for the second quarter of the year, easily beating Wall Street's projections. The staggering three-month profit was a 33 percent increase from the same quarter one year ago, when Apple netted $10.2 billion. Surging iPhone sales contributed to much of the growth. Apple sold 61.2 million smartphones for the quarter, far more than the 43.7 million iPhones it sold during the same period last year.
5. Tsarnaev lawyers ask jurors to spare him the death penalty
Defense lawyers on Monday urged jurors to spare convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev the death penalty, saying he was led into the terrorist plot by his late older brother, Tamerlan. The defense team painted the older Tsarnaev brother as the mastermind behind the deadly 2013 attack. Defense attorney David I. Bruck showed the jury of a photo of a Colorado super-max prison where Tsarnaev might wind up serving a life sentence. "He goes there and he's forgotten... no martyrdom," Bruck said.
6. Colorado movie-theater massacre trial opens
Colorado's cinema massacre trial began on Monday, with prosecutors saying suspect James Holmes' life was falling apart and he "tried to murder a theater full of people to make himself feel better." Public defender Daniel King conceded that Holmes barged into a midnight showing of the The Dark Knight Rises and opened fire, killing 12 people and wounding 70, but said he had no control over his actions because he was suffering from schizophrenia.
7. South Korean court increases ferry captain's sentence to life in prison
A South Korean appeals court sentenced the captain of the capsized ferry Sewol to life in prison on Tuesday, increasing his sentence from 36 years after convicting him of "murder through willful negligence." The ship tipped over a year ago, killing 300 people, most of them high school students. An inquiry found that the vessel was carrying twice the legal limit of cargo. A lower court in November had convicted the captain, Lee June-seok, of negligence and abandoning passengers, but acquitted him on murder charges.
The Guardian The New York Times
8. Teacher tackles student who allegedly fired shots at Washington school
A teacher at a Washington state high school tackled a student who fired a shot into the gym floor and another into the cafeteria ceiling on Monday. The 16-year-old suspect, a student at North Thurston High School, reportedly was armed with a revolver. Police said the teacher, Brady Olson, was "heroic," but Olson said he just instinctively ran to the sound of the gunshot. "I reacted in a way that any other teacher would react," he said.
9. Families of Bali Nine say final farewells as executions loom
Relatives said their final goodbyes on Tuesday to nine heroin smugglers scheduled to be executed in Indonesia at midnight. Jakarta rejected last-ditch calls for clemency for the so-called Bali Nine, eight foreigners and an Indonesian man. The alleged ringleaders — Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan — are from Australia, and supporters in that country held vigils in several cities. Sukumaran's sister, Brintha Sukumaran, begged Indonesian President Joko Widodo to call off the executions. "Please don't take my brother from me," she said.
Reuters The Sydney Morning Herald
10. Award-winning actress Jayne Meadows dies at 95
Emmy-nominated actress Jayne Meadows died Sunday of natural causes in California. She was 95. Meadows often teamed up with her husband, the late TV host Steve Allen. She also performed on Broadway and in movies, and was a regular panelist on I've Got a Secret. She also won the Susan B. Anthony Award for her one-woman show, Powerful Women in History. She also was the sister of the late Audrey Meadows, who starred as Alice Kramden on The Honeymooners.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
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.
-
The best new music of 2024 by genre
The Week Recommends Outstanding albums, from pop to electro and classical
By The Week UK Published
-
Nine best TV shows of 2024 to binge this Christmas
The Week Recommends From Baby Reindeer and Slow Horses to Rivals and Shogun, here are the critics' favourites
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: December 28, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff 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