10 things you need to know today: June 24, 2015

Fast-track trade passes a key Senate hurdle, South Carolina lawmakers agree to debate removing Confederate flag, and more

Protesters outside the South Carolina Statehouse.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

1. Senate advances fast-track trade bill

The Senate voted 60-37 on Tuesday to advance Obama’s fast-track trade bill, narrowly avoiding a filibuster that could have derailed the legislation for a second time. The bill, now expectedly to easily pass on Wednesday, is intended to help Obama seal a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership by letting him present trade deals to Congress for up-or-down votes, with no amendments. The pact would cover roughly 40 percent of the global economy, and House Democrats pushing for U.S. labor protections tried to block it.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

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.