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

1. Greece's embattled prime minister steps down, calls election

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced his resignation on Thursday and called an early election. Tsipras came to power promising to end austerity measures demanded by his debt-burdened country's European creditors, then recently pushed through a new bailout deal that included pension reforms and other painful state sector cuts. Tsipras will still lead his anti-austerity Syriza party into the polls, though members opposed to the bailout walked out of the leftist party on Friday.

BBC News Reuters

2. Jimmy Carter discusses his cancer, says he's ready for "whatever comes"

Former President Jimmy Carter, 90, candidly described his battle with cancer on Thursday, saying cancer discovered on his liver earlier this year had spread to his brain. Carter said doctors found "four spots of melanoma on my brain — small spots." Melanoma is typically found on the skin, but sometimes grows inside the body. Carter is receiving radiation treatment and an immune-boosting drug. "I'm perfectly at ease with whatever comes," he said at a news conference.

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The Washington Post

3. Obama writes letter to reassure congressional Democrats on Iran deal

In a letter to Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), President Obama noted pointedly that the deal to curb Iran's nuclear program doesn't prevent the U.S. from acting unilaterally should Iran try to cheat. "Should Iran seek to dash toward a nuclear weapon, all of the options available to the United States — including the military option — will remain available through the life of the deal and beyond," the president wrote. Though the letter is addressed to Nadler, The New York Times says it's "also aimed at other Democrats with concerns about the deal." Obama needs the support of Democrats to sustain an expected veto if the GOP Congress rejects the deal.

The New York Times

4. North Korea puts soldiers on war alert after exchange of border fire

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his country's soldiers to go into a ""fully armed state of war" starting Friday evening, ratcheting up tensions with South Korea a day after the two countries exchanged fire over their heavily armed border. The shooting started when North Korea fired a shell at a loudspeaker South Korea was using to broadcast anti-Pyongyang propaganda across the border. The communist North, known for its saber-rattling, threatened war if South Korea does not shut off the loudspeaker.

Los Angeles Times

5. China troubles send U.S. markets plummeting

U.S. stocks took their biggest plunge in 18 months on Thursday as fears of economic trouble in China, the world's second largest economy, fueled a global sell-off. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 358 points (2.1 percent) to 16,990.69. The Nasdaq composite dropped by 2.8 percent, and the S&P 500 fell by 2.1 percent. Investors moved money to the safety of gold and bonds. The fears were stoked by wild fluctuations in Chinese stocks since the government started devaluing the country's currency.

The Associated Press

6. First two women graduating from Army Ranger School

The first two women to complete the Army's grueling elite Ranger School officially graduate on Friday. First Lt. Shaye Haver, an Apache attack helicopter pilot, and Capt. Kristen Griest, a military police officer, can't yet join the Ranger regiment. After years of study, however, the heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are set to make recommendations on whether to open combat positions to women. Officials say the Rangers are one of the special operations units expected to be opened.

The Associated Press The New York Times

7. July was the warmest month on record

July was the hottest month on record worldwide, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Thursday. NOAA also said that 2015 so far is the hottest year since the agency began keeping records in 1880. The average global temperature for July was 16.6 degrees Celsius, up 0.09 degrees Celsius from the previous record, set in 1998. Nine of the 10 warmest months on record have occurred in the last 10 years.

Voice of America

8. France's far-right National Front ousts founder Jean-Marie Le Pen

France's far-right National Front party ousted its controversial co-founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, after he repeatedly battled with the party's current leader, his daughter Marine Le Pen. Their disputes centered around his refusal to stop reminding people of the party's anti-Semitic past by repeating controversial remarks on the Holocaust, such as calling it a mere "detail of history." Marine Le Pen has said her father was embarrassing the party. He said he was the victim of a "political witchhunt."

The New York Times

9. Jenner could face manslaughter charge for crash

Caitlyn Jenner could face misdemeanor manslaughter charges for a fatal crash in Malibu this year, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's detective said Thursday. The transgender reality TV star was driving a black Cadillac SUV that rear-ended a Lexus driven by Kimberly Howe, 69, who was killed when her car was sent into oncoming traffic and hit by another SUV. The district attorney will get the results of an investigation next week and decide whether a manslaughter charge is warranted.

CNN

10. Josh Duggar admits infidelity after Ashley Madison leak

Reality TV star Josh Duggar on Thursday confessed to cheating on his wife and having a porn addiction, shortly after reports that his name and address were included in the hacked Ashley Madison data posted online this week. Duggar called himself "the biggest hypocrite ever," saying that he had secretly behaved shamefully "while espousing faith and family values." In May, Duggar, 27, apologized after reports that he had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter when he was a teen.

The Associated Press