10 things you need to know today: May 19, 2015

1. Investigators say fight over parking space ignited deadly Waco biker battle

Police said Monday that a dispute over a restaurant parking space appeared to have touched off the gunfight among rival motorcycle gangs in Waco, Texas. The battle left nine dead. Four of them might have been hit police gunfire, and police braced for possible retaliation by bikers. A judge set bail at $1 million for about 170 bikers arrested and charged with engaging in organized crime related to a capital murder. The gun battle was the latest clash in a feud between the Bandidos and Cossacks gangs.

The Dallas Morning News CNN

2. State Department says it can't release Clinton emails until early 2016

The State Department said in court documents filed Monday that it would need until January 2016 to review 55,000 pages of emails from Hillary Clinton's years as secretary of state. Clinton, facing criticism over her use of a private email account, asked the State Department to release her emails. The State Department, responding to a Freedom of Information lawsuit by Vice News, said the volume and sensitive nature of the emails would push the public release of redacted versions into early next year.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

USA Today CNN

3. EU authorizes military force to stop migrant smugglers

The European Union on Monday approved using military force against migrant smugglers in the Mediterranean. European leaders have been under increasing pressure to take decisive action to crack down on smugglers ferrying immigrants from North Africa to Europe, often in unsafe, overcrowded boats. At least 1,800 migrants have died trying to make the crossing this year. The EU hopes to destroy the smugglers' boats before the migrants board.

The Washington Post

4. Prince Charles to meet Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams in Ireland

Britain's Prince Charles plans to shake hands with Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams in Galway, Ireland, on Tuesday. It will be the first meeting between Adams and a member of the British royal family, and the first royal visit with Sinn Féin leaders in the Republic of Ireland. The encounter is the latest part of a push for reconciliation after decades of conflict between Irish republicans and unionists backed by Britain. Charles also will visit the scenic spot where his great uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten was killed by an IRA bomb in 1979.

BBC News The Guardian

5. Mudslide kills 52 in Colombia

A massive mudslide triggered by heavy rains killed at least 52 people in a western Colombian mountain town on Monday. The avalanche of water, mud, and debris roared through town before dawn, when many people were still in bed. "It was rocks and tree trunks everywhere," construction worker Diego Agudelo told The Associated Press. "The river took out everything in its path," he said. President Juan Manuel Santos traveled to the area and promised to rebuild the homes of the roughly 500 people affected.

The Associated Press

6. U.S. pledges to help Iraq retake Ramadi

The Obama administration promised on Monday that it would help Iraq retake Ramadi from the Islamic State. The U.S. said the city — the provincial capital of Anbar province — was a temporary setback, and that Iraqi forces could take it back with the help of airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition. Experts, including former U.S. ambassadorial adviser Ali Khedery, said the claim that Ramadi could soon be retaken was not realistic. "Delusional, really, is the better word," Khedery said.

Voice of America McClatchy

7. U.S. stocks hit record close

The Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 rose to record highs on Monday. Several factors fueled the gains. One was a 1.1 percent rise for Apple shares after billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn, a top 10 Apple shareholder, said the stock was "still dramatically undervalued." Lukewarm economic data also helped, because it suggested the Federal Reserve might delay hiking interest rates to give the recovery more time. The U.S. gains boosted global stocks early Tuesday.

Reuters

8. Jindal announces committee to explore presidential bid

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) on Monday announced he is forming a presidential exploratory committee to weigh a potential 2016 White House run. "If I run, my candidacy will be based on the idea that the American people are ready to try a dramatically different direction," Jindal said in a statement. A second-term governor, Jindal built a reputation as a staunch conservative with a penchant for symbolically sparring with the Obama administration. Early 2016 polls show him running in the low single digits.

Politico The Associated Press

9. Afghan police officers sentenced over lynching

A judge in Afghanistan on Tuesday sentenced 11 police officers to one year in jail for failing to prevent a Kabul mob from killing a woman falsely accused of burning a Koran. Judge Safiullah Mujadidi freed eight other officers, citing a lack of evidence that they failed to carry out their duties. The same judge sentenced four men to death for the March murder of the 27-year-old woman, named Farkhunda. Her death sparked angry demonstrations.

Reuters

10. Cartoonist Luz leaving Charlie Hebdo

Celebrated Charlie Hebdo cartoonist Renald "Luz" Luzier said in an interview published Monday that he would leave the French satirical newspaper in September. Luz drew the cover illustration after Islamist extremists stormed the publication's Paris offices in January and killed 12 people. The cover portrayed the Prophet Muhammad holding a sign saying, "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie). "Each issue is torture because the others are gone," he said.

France24