10 things you need to know today: July 21, 2015

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1. U.N. Security Council backs Iran nuclear deal
2. Trump takes big poll lead
3. Six states arm National Guard recruiters after Chattanooga shootings
4. Kerry calls U.S.-Cuba embassy openings a "new beginning"
5. Activists call for investigation of Sandra Bland's death
6. McCain says Trump should apologize to military families
7. Kasich to formally announce presidential run
8. Ex-president of Chad prosecuted for alleged crimes against humanity
9. Zach Johnson wins British Open
10. Keillor announces retirement as Prairie Home Companion host

published 21 July 2015

1. U.N. Security Council backs Iran nuclear deal

The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved the Iran nuclear deal on Monday. The 15-member council endorsed both the accord, which would limit Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for lifting sanctions, and a measure that would re-impose U.N. penalties should Tehran breach the agreement. The deal between Iran and six world powers was reached last week in Vienna after nearly two years of negotiations. President Obama sent it to Congress on Sunday.

Donald Trump has surged to a huge lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released Monday. Trump had the support of 24 percent of those polled. His nearest rival, at 14 percent, was Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who was the favorite of those identifying themselves as "very conservative." The survey was conducted as Trump ignited a controversy with harsh criticism of Sen. John McCain, and his support fell among those questioned after his remarks on McCain.

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Governors in six states — Florida, Indiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas — on Monday ordered their National Guardsmen to be armed to protect recruiting centers in the latest fallout from last week's fatal shootings at two Chattanooga, Tennessee, military installations. Five servicemen were killed. The U.S. military also ordered increased security. Relatives said alleged shooter Mohammod Abdulazeez, who was killed by police, had long suffered from depression and drug abuse.

Secretary of State John Kerry called Monday's resumption of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba a "new beginning" after more than five decades of tensions and mistrust stemming from the Cold War. Kerry, speaking at a ceremony marking the reopening of Cuba's embassy in Washington, D.C., said the move marked an historic milestone but there was more work to be done to normalize relations. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez agreed, calling for the lifting of a U.S. trade embargo that "causes so much deprivation and damage to our people."

Civil rights activists on Monday called for an independent investigation into the death of Sandra Bland, an African-American woman who died in police custody in Texas three days after being arrested for allegedly assaulting an officer during a traffic stop. Bland's death was ruled a suicide by the medical examiner, but Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis said the case was "being treated like a murder investigation." The local sheriff on Monday released three hours of footage from the jail the morning of Bland's death.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Monday that GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump should apologize to military families for comments mocking McCain's time as a POW during the Vietnam war. McCain, in his first public response to Trump's barbs, said the Saturday comments were "totally inappropriate," and that Trump "may owe an apology to the families of those who have sacrificed in conflict and those who have undergone the prison experience in serving their country."

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is scheduled to announce Tuesday that he is joining the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Kasich, a second-term governor and former congressman, will be the 16th candidate in the crowded and diverse field. Kasich briefly sought the 2000 nomination after helping put together a balanced budget deal when he was House Budget chairman, and this year he has been traveling the country pushing for a federal balanced-budget amendment.

Former Chad president Hissene Habre, 72, went on trial Monday for alleged crimes against humanity. The war-crimes trial began 25 years after he was overthrown. Habre, who headed a brutal government from 1982 to 1990, shouted and called the proceedings a farce as he waited for the trial to start. Guards carried him out of the room. Habre had been living safely in Senegal until a new government there agreed to create a special tribunal and try him "on behalf of Africa."

Zach Johnson defeated Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen in a four-hole playoff to win the 2015 British Open on Monday. His final round score of 66 was the lowest ever for a champion in the storied tournament — and the lowest final round of his career. Johnson's win made him just the 14th player ever to win the Masters and The Open Championship. "I've come a long way since 2007 when I kind of launched my golf career," Johnson said.

Garrison Keillor told The Associated Press on Monday that he was retiring as host of his beloved radio show, A Prairie Home Companion, after next season. Musician Chris Thile will replace him. Keillor has been entertaining radio audiences for four decades with his wobbly baritone voice, comedy sketches, and tales of life in his mythical Minnesota hometown of Lake Wobegone. Keillor, 72, said: "I have a lot of other things that I want to do." He plans to write, work on another movie, and continue working as A Prairie Home Companion's executive producer.

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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.