10 things you need to know today: October 5, 2015

1. South Carolina hit by once-in-a-millennium rains

South Carolina was hit by historic rainfall over the weekend that caused widespread flooding and left at least six people dead. Two others died in North Carolina. Mount Pleasant, near Charleston, got more than 24 inches of rain. "We haven't seen this level of rain in the Lowcountry in 1,000 years," South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) said at a press conference. "That's how big this is." The state capital, Columbia, got more than a foot overnight. Rescuers plucked hundreds of people trapped by floodwaters, many stranded in cars.

CNN The Associated Press

2. Hillary Clinton to pitch gun-control measures

Hillary Clinton is expected on Monday to announce proposals to close gun sale loopholes and repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. Clinton, then a senator, voted against the 2005 law, which provides legal protection to gun manufacturers and dealers who sell guns that are used for criminal activity. Joining others calling for tighter gun laws in the wake of last week's mass shooting in Oregon, Clinton also plans to back legislation to prohibit anyone with a history of domestic violence from buying or possessing guns.

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Bloomberg

3. Trade negotiators hope to wrap up Pacific trade deal

Trade negotiators say they hope to seal a final trade deal between the U.S. and 11 Asia-Pacific countries on Monday. The landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership, under negotiation for eight years, would open up trade and set commerce ground rules for 12 countries representing about 40 percent of the global economy. If finalized, the next hurdle will be getting it ratified in all 12 member nations. A deeply divided Congress is expected to debate the pact for months.

The New York Times

4. Aid group calls for independent investigation of strike on Afghan hospital

Doctors Without Borders on Sunday called the suspected U.S. airstrike that killed 12 staff members and 10 patients at its northern Afghanistan hospital a "war crime," and demanded an independent investigation. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter promised an inquiry to determine whether the U.S. military was responsible. He said American "air assets" were operating in the area around Kunduz when the hospital was hit. He promised accountability for "anybody responsible for doing something they shouldn't have done."

Reuters

5. ISIS destroys arch at ancient city's entrance

Islamic State militants have blown up the Arch of Triumph that stood at the entrance to the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, Maamun Abdulkarim, Syria's head of antiquities, said Monday. Abdulkarim said ISIS "booby-trapped" the arch several weeks ago. The Islamist extremist group has been destroying monuments, which they believe promote idolatry, since seizing the 2,000-year-old UNESCO world heritage site in May. "We are living through a catastrophe," Abdulkarim said.

AFP

6. Three scientists share Nobel Prize in medicine for work fighting parasites

Three scientists from Ireland, Japan, and China were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for their work revolutionizing therapies for devastating parasitic diseases. William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omura won for developing the drug Avermectin to treat river blindness and lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis). Youyou Tu won her share of the prize for discovering Artemisinin, a drug that has significantly reduced malaria death rates. [Editor's note: This article originally misstated Youyou Tu's gender. It has since been corrected. We regret the error.]

The New York Times

7. Debris spotted from cargo ship that went missing in Hurricane Joaquin

Search teams on Sunday found debris believed to be from the cargo ship El Faro, which went missing in the eye of Hurricane Joaquin in the Bahamas last week. The vessel had a crew of 28 Americans and five Polish nationals on board. The Coast Guard has spotted life jackets, containers, and an oil sheen believed to have come from the ship, but there have been no sightings of life boats. El Faro has not been seen or heard from since its crew sent a distress call on Thursday.

Reuters CNN

8. American Apparel files for bankruptcy protection

American Apparel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection early Monday. The company is struggling with massive debts and plummeting sales. An ongoing legal fight with ousted founder Dov Charney' also has contributed to the once trendsetting retailer's decline. The reorganization plan, if approved by the bankruptcy court in Delaware, would reduce the company's debt to $120 million from $311 million by letting five bondholders trade their debt for shares in the company.

The New York Times

9. North Korea frees NYU student

North Korea released New York University student Won-moon Joo on Monday after holding him since April, the South Korean government said. Joo, a South Korean with permanent residency in the U.S., took a semester off to travel. He told CNN months ago that he was arrested after entering North Korea illegally via China. "I thought that some great event could happen and hopefully that event could have a good effect on the relations" between the two Koreas, Joo said in May.

New York Daily News

10. The Martian leads the weekend box office with $55 million debut

The Martian dominated the weekend box office in its debut, hauling in $55 million in its opening. The Ridley Scott 3D space epic fell less than $1 million short of beating out Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity as the biggest October opening ever. The Martian, starring Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded and left for dead on Mars, also made $45.2 million overseas, bringing its total to $100.2 million globally.

The Hollywood Reporter