10 things you need to know today: July 28, 2015

1. Boy Scouts board ends ban on gay leaders

The governing board of the Boy Scouts of America voted on Monday to end the group's blanket ban on gay leaders and employees. Seventy-nine percent of the national executive board supported the move, saying the policy "was no longer legally defensible." Churches that sponsor Scout troops still can exclude gay leaders for religious reasons. The Mormon Church said it was "deeply troubled" and that it was reevaluating its relationship with the Boy Scouts.

NBC News The New York Times

2. Libyan court sentences Saif al-Islam Gadhafi to die

A Libyan court sentenced the late Moammar Gadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam, to death for killings during the 2011 uprising that toppled his father's government. The court also issued death sentences for former Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, former Libyan intelligence chief Abdallah al-Senousi, and six others. It is unclear whether the sentences will be carried out. Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, who testified via video link, is being held by a militia that refuses to deliver him to the central government.

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The Associated Press

3. Olympic Committee ends Boston's bid to host 2024 Summer Games

Boston lost its chance to be the host city in the U.S. Olympic Committee's bid for the 2024 Olympics when Mayor Marty Walsh said he was not ready to sign a host-city contract, which would commit Boston to covering budgetary shortfalls. USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said the lack of enthusiasm in Boston would make it hard to beat strong bids from Paris, Rome, Hamburg, Budapest, and Toronto. The USOC has until Sept. 15 to propose a replacement, and two-time host Los Angeles is considered the likeliest candidate.

Boston Herald The New York Times

4. Obama delivers historic address to African Union

President Obama pledged to help raise 50 million Africans out of poverty during his Tuesday address at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — the equivalent of 5 percent of Africa's population. His speech marked the first time that a sitting American president addressed the African Union. "Many Africans are crowded into shantytowns without power or running water — a level of poverty that's an assault on human dignity," Obama said.

BBC News The Associated Press

5. NSA to destroy bulk phone data collected over 10 years

The National Security Agency will stop reviewing the phone records of millions of Americans, and destroy 10 years of data already collected, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Monday. Congress voted in June to end the NSA's bulk collection of phone records — a controversial program leaked by former government contractor Edward Snowden. Since then, the Obama administration had not said what it would do with old data already recorded.

The Washington Post

6. Tech leaders urge ban on autonomous killer robots

Physicist Stephen Hawking, Space X founder Elon Musk, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and hundreds of other tech luminaries signed an open letter released Monday calling for a global ban on artificial-intelligence-based autonomous weapons. The letter, presented at the opening of the International Joint Conference On Artificial Intelligence in Buenos Aires, warned against the dangers of a global arms race to make autonomous killer robots, which will be "feasible within years, not decades."

Live Science

7. Obama slams Huckabee for Holocaust reference

President Obama on Monday harshly criticized Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee for saying the Obama administration was marching Israelis straight to the "door of the oven" with the Iran nuclear deal. Obama called Huckabee's comments "part of just a general pattern we have seen that would be considered ridiculous if it weren't so sad." Obama, speaking during a visit to Ethiopia, said, "It's not the kind of leadership that's needed in America right now."

The New York Times

8. U.S. stocks sink as Chinese markets stoke fears of a global slowdown

U.S. stocks sank on Monday as a market slump in China fueled fears about global economic growth. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell to its lowest level since February. "A significant slowdown in China impacts not just the U.S. but global players as well," said Horizon Investment Services CEO Chuck Carlson. Chinese stocks remained volatile Tuesday despite government promises to buy shares if necessary to stabilize the market, although European stocks rebounded.

Reuters

9. U.S. takes Cuba off list of countries failing to fight human trafficking

The U.S. is removing Cuba from its list of countries that are not combating human trafficking, according to an annual State Department report released Monday. The move came a week after Cuba and the U.S. formally restored diplomatic relations and opened embassies in each others' capitals. Under Secretary of State Sarah Sewall said Cuba "does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking," but has made strides in fighting sex trafficking.

BBC News

10. Jen Welter hired as first female NFL coach

The Arizona Cardinals announced Monday that they had hired Jen Welter as a coaching intern during training camp and the preseason, making her the first woman to hold a coaching position in the NFL. "Coaching is nothing more than teaching," Cardinals Coach Bruce Arians said. "One thing I have learned from players is, 'How are you going to make me better? I don't care if you're the Green Hornet, man, I'll listen.'" Welter was an assistant coach of the Indoor Football League's Texas Revolution this year.

Los Angeles Times